A1 Angels Shooting Fire
by KennaC
Summary: My first fanfic. It is the first in the Nancy Clay/Murdock Series. Murdock falls in love, but there are complications is the relationship strong enough to weather the storm?
1. Part 1

Summary:  Revised & Expanded - Murdock falls in love, but there are complications - is the relationship strong enough to weather the storm? 

I'd like to acknowledge singer/songwriter Atoosa (check her out on CDBaby.com).  Her songs were the inspiration for this story, you'll see the lyrics of several throughout.

No, I don't own the A-Team or any of the associated characters (darn!). Nancy Clay Murdock and her friends and family (other than Stockwell) are mine, for better or worse.

**Across the Tarmac**

The Team had just returned from another mission.  They had been working for General Hunt Stockwell for just over a year now, and it was almost becoming routine.  They were working on unloading the cargo plane that had been their transport for this most recent mission to South America. Murdock was taking a quick walk around the plane to survey any damage.  They had taken some heavy fire as they exited the airport in the back country of Columbia, and he knew Doc would need a rundown on needed repairs.

Murdock looked up as a small plane landed on the strip and grabbed Face's arm, "Looky there Faceman - I think I'm in love!  That is one sweet bird, a Taylorcraft BD12."

"I'm glad to hear you're finally getting a social life, again, Murdock - now if you're done wandering around you can help me with the bags."

Murdock picked up a couple bags and headed towards the van, parked on the tarmac, "It's kinda hard to have much of a social life when you spend all your time lookin' for a job.  I'll probably be on the unemployment line again.  Figures, too, I liked working at the turkey farm - them gobblers are great company!"

"Only you would like working on a regular basis with fowls! They stink!  You're better off with a different job anyway, you got way too attached to those birds." Face said with a grimace.

"Nice thought, Facey, but there are only soooo many minimum wage jobs in Langley, and I think I've held most of them in the past year."

"Look on the bright side, Murdock, you get to expand your horizons once again." Hannibal said, clapping Murdock on the shoulder.

"Hey," Face offered, "have you talked to Doc, the guy that runs the airfield - maybe he could use somebody.  One big advantage would be that you can tell him when you're gonna be gone, He already knows you work for Stockwell." 

"Let's get this straight," Murdock said irritably, "you guys 'work' for Stockwell, I'm along for the ride.  Stockwell's made it clear where I stand in the overall order of the universe. Besides, I already talked to Doc - he said Stockwell told him 'no way', I'm persona non grata."

"Listen fool, at least you get to go where you want." BA growled, "I ain't seen Mama in a year - an' it's looking like it's gonna be even longer."

"I know BA, and I don't mean to complain.  I'll find another job eventually."  Murdock said soothingly.  "Maybe I _will_ talk to Doc again.  He's been havin' trouble keeping a mechanic on . . . maybe if I promise not to tell Stockwell, he'll give me the job."

"Hello," Murdock stopped, and stared toward the Taylorcraft again. A young woman, about 5'4", with auburn hair was standing up from looking under the hood.  "I think I _am_ in love."

"Yea, yea, Murdock, we heard before, it's an Andy Taylor plane. Whoopee!" Face said.

"_Taylocraft_ - but I ain't talkin' 'bout the plane, Facey, take a look at the pilot!"  Murdock exclaimed, "It takes more than a little skill to fly those little puddle-hoppers - my kind o' lady!"

Meanwhile the young woman had turned and started walking towards where the Team was unloading, between her and the hangar.  Murdock was still standing there gazing fixedly towards her and her plane. He absently checked wind speed and direction thinking that she had to be a darn good pilot given her smooth landing in the stiff cross-wind, and as she moved closer thinking she was a very pretty woman.  

Frankie came up beside him and hissed, "You're staring, Murdock." Murdock's eyes grew wide as the young woman caught his gaze and smiled. 

She was only a few yards away and had heard Frankie's admonishment, and her sky blue eyes danced with amusement, "He's absolutely right, it's not polite to stare," she said.  Murdock looked quickly  down in embarrassment.

Face turned at the new voice and raised an eyebrow at his friend, as the young woman continued on her way to the hangar.  Once she was past, Murdock began walking in a small circle, mumbling to himself, and Face grabbed his arm and hissed, "Go talk to her Murdock - maybe you really could have a social life."

Murdock shook his head, "Naw, I can't just walk up to her and start talkin'. . ."

"Sure you can, Murdock," Frankie encouraged, "she even smiled at you."

"More likely laughing at me for standing there like an idiot," Murdock said miserably, "Besides how do you know, maybe she was smilin' at you . . . or Faceman.  Probably _not_ me."

"You're never gonna know if you don't talk to her." Face said, pushing his friend after the young woman, who had disappeared into the hangar.

"Face is right, man, you gotta have more confidence in yourself." BA agreed, nodding.

"I don't know what to say to her . . ."

"How about trying, 'Hi, I'm Murdock, what's your name?'" Face said, exasperated.

"You could ask her about her plane . . ." Frankie offered.

"What's going on here, you guys are supposed to be unloading the plane, not standing around yapping," Hannibal barked, striding towards his gathered men.

"Hannibal, tell Murdock he should go talk to that woman.  He's feeling shy," Face said, grinning and ignoring the Colonel's glare.

Hannibal looked at Murdock in surprise, "Murdock, since when do you have trouble talking to _anyone,_" he asked the glare dissolving into a wide smile, teeth locked on his cigar. 

"Just pretend she's one of your socks, fool.  Then you won't have any problem!" BA said, laughing.

"Very funny, BA," Murdock said irritably.  Facing his four team mates all looking at him expectantly, he finally gave in, "_Alright_, I'll go talk to her," he turned and started towards the hangar, still grumbling, "but I don't think that pretending she's Socky is gonna work. She looks nothing like him - she's way prettier . . . I gotta go talk to Doc, anyways."

Hannibal chuckled as he watched Murdock walk towards the hangar, then he turned to the other three, "What are you guys still standing around for - Come on - let's get this equipment unloaded!"

Nancy Clay was just returning from another weekend visiting her father in Chicago.  It was the third weekend in a row that she had decided to go home and visit with Dad. But then, if she'd hung around Langley, she'd just have ended up working anyway. She didn't really have anything better to do.

As she approached for the landing, she caught a rough sound in the engine noise.  It had been recurring periodically throughout the flight, and it was starting to worry her.  She taxied to her normal storage spot and shut down. She opened the door, tossing her bag to the ground from the seat next to her then unfolding herself from the cockpit.  

She took a deep breath and stretched- there were times when she thought it would be nice to get a larger plane.  But her Taylorcraft was a classic and she loved it.  She had restored it herself and couldn't imagine flying a different plane, it would be like committing adultery.

After tying the plane down, she opened the hood, quickly scanning the engine components that she knew so well and carefully checking connections and looking for leaks on the cooling engine. It was a routine she followed pre-flight regularly, but nothing popped out at her as being wrong.  It had been a rough flight, and she was too tired to really dig into it.  She also knew she wasn't likely to have time over the next week to work on it herself so she decided to head to the hangar and see if Doc had time to check it out.

She straightened up, closed the hood, picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.  As she turned to head towards the hangar she noticed a tall, lanky guy in a brown bomber jacket, 'Another flyboy captivated by the Taylorcraft,' she thought, it certainly wasn't the first time.  But as she got closer she noticed that his eyes were following her.

'He has a nice smile.' Nancy thought to herself.  She was a few yards from him, when she heard the dark young man next to him say "Murdock, you're staring."  Nancy chuckled to herself, and smiling into warm brown eyes she said, "He's absolutely right, it's not polite to stare," but he had already looked away.

Nancy sighed, running a hand self-consciously back through her tangled hair. She certainly wasn't at her best after the long, cramped flight from Chicago, 'I probably scared him to death,' she thought ruefully. She hurried on to the hangar, wondering at her lousy luck with men.

Once in the hangar, her thoughts turned back to the plane, she walked up to the desk and smiled brightly, "Hi, Doc, how's it going?"

"Lousy, lost another mechanic today.  Don't know any reliable airplane mechanics looking for work do ya?"  Doc asked, distractedly.

"Sorry, no . . . I hope that doesn't mean you won't have time to take a look at Aunt Bea and give her a tuneup," Nancy said, her tone hopeful, "she's running rough every so often during the cycle . . . I took a quick look but didn't see anything right off," she caught Doc's eye and held it, "She probably just needs some tender loving care, but I don't thing I'm gonna have time this week to provide it."  

Doc smiled and shook his head, "I'll put her on the schedule, Nancy, but no promises.  If I can't find another mechanic, I'll be doing the work myself, and I've got planes that need serious intervention, not 'tender loving care'!" he leaned down and made a notation in his repair log.

**Hello . . . Maybe next time**

The door to the hangar opened and Murdock walked in.  He delayed walking to the desk, where he saw the young woman standing talking to Doc.  Try as he might, he couldn't think what to say to her, his mind was a blank.

Nancy sighed, "Alright Doc, do what you can.  If you don't get to her by this weekend, I'll make some time myself.  I guess a weekend in the hangar with you and Aunt Bea is no more pitiful than a weekend at home with Dad!" 

"I'm not such bad company, am I?" Doc asked jokingly, then he turned and caught sight of Murdock, "Hey, I see you brought this plane back in one piece!" Nancy raised an eyebrow at Doc, who smiled and winked, "Any problems?" he asked in a more serious tone.

"No real _problems_," Murdock replied, quietly, walking slowly to the desk and leaning at the end opposite where the young woman was standing, "other than the fact that she's leaking oil like a sieve and flies like a tank.  May need a little body work, too . . ."

Nancy glanced casually down the desk at the speaker, noticing that it was the same man she had passed on her way into the hangar.  She ran a hand back through her unruly hair again - she knew she had to look like someone's forgotten laundry, and it made her unaccountably self-conscious in front of this guy. Maybe it was time to make a quick exit, before he got too good a look.

She glanced at her watch, it was getting late anyways, "Well, I'll see you next weekend Doc - good luck finding another mechanic." she turned and hurried out to the parking lot.

"See ya later Nan." Doc said, then turned to Murdock, "Do me a favor, Murdock, and fill out the repair log with the work that needs to be done." Doc consulted his rental flight schedule, "Damn, what a time to lose a mechanic. That plane needs to be back in the air by Tuesday!"

Murdock's eyes had been following Nancy as she left.  As the door closed behind her he turned his attention back to Doc.  He moved down the counter and pulled the repair log forward.  He noted the long list of critical repairs.  "You know, Doc, I could help you with this."

"Listen Murdock, I'd love to hire ya, but you know what I'm up against . . ." Doc let the sentence hang.

"You'd never know I was here, Doc - I'd keep a low profile."  Murdock looked at Doc with puppy dog eyes. "Please, Doc, I know I'm on the unemployment line again, after this last week, and I really don't wanna answer another want ad."

Doc looked at Murdock with a calculating gaze, and finally said, "Alright, Murdock, I'll give it a try - but we're gonna have to keep it low profile.  I don't want the General seein' ya here.  And, if he shows up you better disappear.  He's my best customer, and I _cannot_ afford to alienate him."  

"You got it, Muchacho . . . and Doc, _thanks_, you won't be sorry!"  Murdock turned to leave then stopped and glanced back asking casually, "By the way, who was that lady?"

Doc glanced up, and smiled knowingly, "That pretty little thing that just left?" he asked.  When Murdock nodded, he answered, "Name's Nancy Clay.  She's been a customer for five or six years. Why, you interested? I'm pretty certain she's single . . ."

"Naw, just curious," Murdock said indifferently, "she's got a nice T-craft.  I noticed it when she landed."

"Is that all you noticed, son?" Doc asked, raising his eyebrows, "If so, I'd be thinking you're crazier than you let on."

"I mighta noticed a couple other things . . ." Murdock said hesitantly, an uncertain smile on his face, "but I think maybe she's a little outta my league."

"You never know if you don't try . . ." Doc said leadingly.

"Maybe next time . . ." Murdock said with a shrug. 

"Suit yourself," Doc said.  He looked at Murdock seriously, "By the way, I need you to start tonight, the repair backlog is killin' me."

"I'll be back as soon as I'm sure the General's cleared out.  I assume he'll be in this evening for a debriefing - so I'll be scarce 'til he's gone."  Murdock turned and headed back out to the tarmac. "See ya later, Doc."

**The Job**

As expected, General Hunt Stockwell showed up that evening to be briefed on the mission just completed.  Everything considered the mission had gone well, and he was pleased.  Truth was that the A-team had turned out to be a very valuable asset.  He had not been overly charitable to them at the start, part of that stemming from his history with Captain Murdock.  But now he was seriously considering how he was going to convince the Team to sign on for work voluntarily after their pardons were received.  

Time would tell.  He'd been giving them more freedom lately, but the situation was still not secured with the military.  They were being stubborn where the A-team was concerned - apparently too many years of being made fools of.  But within the limited confines of Langley he could keep the vultures at bay.  He knew that the Team members were getting restless, and hoped that the extra freedom would stave off any foolish attempts at longer treks.

After the debriefing, he headed back to the airfield, he had meetings in Washington before the holiday, and it was much more convenient to attend those from Dulles.

Murdock called Doc from the compound, "Has the vulture taken flight yet, Doc?"

"They left almost 45 minutes ago.  Get your butt over here, boy, time's a-wasting!"

"On my way, Boss-man."

**Maybe this time . . . **

Murdock spent the next week working on Doc's backlog of plane repairs.  BA even came and helped him.  The van was in tip top condition, and BA was bored.  

It was Friday evening, and Murdock had pulled the Taylorcraft into the hangar to start work.  He'd managed to work his way through all the critical repairs.  He and BA had even worked late on Monday to get the cargo plane fixed up.  Doc seemed pretty happy with the arrangement, and had told Murdock he'd allow it to continue indefinitely, as long as the General didn't find out.

"This is a classic, BA, deserving the utmost respect.  Handle her with kid gloves, big guy!"

"I handle ever'thing careful, fool, unlike you!"  BA glowered "and stop talking 'bout the plane like it's alive - it's just a plane!"

"Just a plane, JUST A PLANE?" Murdock cried. "I'll have you know that this is one of the great classics - an aeronautical wonder to be beheld. Not only is it a great flier but economical to boot.  Give her the respect she deserves, you big ugly mudsucker!"

"Don't you start with me, fool, I'm here helpin' you 'cause I was feeling generous.  But your crazy talk is wearing thin, man!" BA was advancing on the pilot as he spoke.

From the hangar door came Hannibal's voice, "Sounds like the boys are getting cranky . . . probably because they're hungry.  Come on and get some pizza!"

"You're lucky Hannibal has good timing, Murdock." BA growled, "Or I woulda had to pound you into the ground."

As they headed for the counter, where Hannibal was setting out the pizza boxes, Murdock grinned at BA, "Ahh, I know you don't really mean it big guy.  You're just a big pussycat under all that muscle."

Face looked at BA, then at Murdock and said, "Murdock, I wouldn't test that theory until _after_ BA has gotten to eat."

As they started to eat, conversation turned towards Murdock's failure to talk to the owner of the plane sitting in the hangar.

"I can't believe you didn't talk to her.  I've never seen you at a loss for words before. What's the problem?"  Face asked.

"I don't know," Murdock said "She was talking to Doc when I walked in, and then she was gone - I didn't really get a chance . . ."

"You mean you delayed until you didn't have a chance. You know she's not just gonna stand around waiting for you to make a move." Hannibal wasn't accustomed to Murdock being overly interested in a woman.  He'd talked about this Nancy Clay more than once over the last several days.

"Well, it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Murdock said dismissively.

Doc came in a few minutes later and walked over to the counter, picking up a piece of pizza. "Can anyone join this party?" he asked.

"Help yourself, Doc." Hannibal said. "We were just finishing up."

"Speak for yourself, Hannibal," Murdock said, picking up his fourth piece of pizza, "I'm just getting started."

Hannibal grinned, "Better eat up Doc, before the human garbage disposal gets going."

Doc noticed the plane in the hangar, "You got the Clay T-craft in, huh," he said.

"Yep, haven't started yet.  She sounded a little rough, but not bad."  Murdock said.

"A little rough is the worst she gets, Nancy really babies her."  Doc said. "In fact she may show up here tonight - she called earlier today, and I told her that we hadn't gotten to Aunt Bea yet.  She said her schedule was letting up and she might stop by later."

"Aunt Bea?" Face asked.

"Yea, Nan said that since it was "Taylor"craft, she decided it needed a Mayberry name." Doc chuckled, "Girl's got a weird sense of humor."

Face looked at Murdock triumphantly, "I told you it was an Andy Taylor plane!"

"Technically, it's a Bea Taylor plane." said a voice from near the door.  Nancy Clay was standing there watching the gathering with amused interest. 

Murdock caught sight of her and panicked . . . He still couldn't think of anything to say, and he knew the guys were none too subtle when it came to something like this. He decided the best strategy was to separate himself from the group, so he turned and his long legs carried him quickly to the other side of the plane.

Hannibal watched in consternation as Murdock disappeared on the other side of the plane, then smiled at Nancy around his cigar, "Piece of pizza?" he offered.

"No thanks," Nancy said with a smile, walking towards the gathering by the desk, "I had fast food a little while ago, and can't handle any more grease tonight." She had noticed the pilot from the previous weekend, in mechanics coveralls, striding towards Aunt Bea, and found herself thinking that she was glad she had taken the time to stop by home and freshen up before coming to the 'port.

Doc took up the introductions, "Nancy this is Hannibal, BA, Frankie, Face . . ." he trailed off looking about the hangar.

Nancy smiled shaking hands around the circle, "It's nice to meet you."

"Murdock is hiding on the other side of the plane, Doc," Face hissed in response to Doc's casting glances. Face was beginning to get irritated, here was Murdock's chance to meet Nancy and he had wandered off again.

Hannibal was taking matters into his own hands, "Nancy, I don't think you've met Captain Murdock." He took his cigar out of his mouth, indicating the way, and offering his arm. 

Nancy smiled uncertainly, but stepped forward, taking the offered arm.  He escorted her purposefully across the hangar and to the other side of the plane, where Murdock already had the hood up on Aunt Bea and was getting ready to start work.

"Murdock, I don't think you've met Nancy Clay, yet," Hannibal said, "Nancy this is Captain H.M. Murdock."

Murdock stood up from where he was crouched beside the tool box with a nervous, but broad smile, "Hi, it's nice to meet you," he held out his hand.  

Nancy took it in a firm hand shake, "Likewise," she said smiling.

"I'm gonna go clean up the pizza," Hannibal said and abruptly left the two standing there looking awkwardly at one another.

"A little match making, Hannibal?" Face asked quietly as the Colonel returned to the desk.  Hannibal put his cigar back in his mouth and grinned.

**Aunt Bea's the Real Matchmaker**

Nancy watched Hannibal's retreating back.  When she turned back, Murdock was crouched by the tool box again. She stepped to the side of the plane, looking under the hood, "Did you listen to her?" she asked tentatively, "She's been sounding rough."

Murdock stood and watched Nancy picking idly under the hood, "She did seem a little rough, but it didn't sound serious.  A tune up will probably do it.  Could just be some dirt in a line somewhere. She'll be good as new in no time."

Nancy glanced up at him uncertainly, and he smiled widely, "Don't worry, the big mean-looking guy over there is the best mechanic I know, he'll make sure that I don't mess anything up. Trust me, he doesn't let me get away with anything."

Nancy smiled, "OK, I'll trust you - but you better be careful of Aunt Bea, she's a special lady!"

"I'll keep that in mind."  Murdock said, picking up a socket and moving towards where Nancy still stood by the raised hood.  

She stepped aside slightly as he set to work, and cocked her head off to the side, "Maybe I should help, just to make sure."

"I don't think there's room under this hood for more than one person, even a little short cake like you," he said grinning, "Why don't you have a seat and supervise.  You know it's never a good idea to operate on your own child, anyways."

"That may be true, but this child is more like a Frankenstein than a blood relative, I think there's a difference." Nancy said, taking a seat on a stool nearby.

"So you restored her yourself?" Murdock asked, interested.

"Yea," she said, smiling, "Dad gave me a choice at 14, a car that ran or a plane that didn't. I think he was trying to discourage me from flying but it didn't work."

As Murdock worked, they discussed the restoration work that Nancy had done, which segued into other aviation topics.  After the rather hesitant start, the conversation was relaxed and constant.  Hannibal and the others left the hangar quietly, but neither Nancy nor Murdock appeared to notice.  

An hour and a half later, Murdock had finished cleaning and lubing everything.  He asked Nancy to get in a crank her over to see how she sounded.

The engine purred and Nancy smiled, "She sounds perfect!" Nancy called over the engine noise.

"You're all set," Murdock said, "You might as well taxi her on out to bed and tie her down."

Murdock stepped back from the plane and Nancy moved it to its normal space and tied down.  When she came back in, Murdock had most of the tools put away, and was cleaning up.

"Thanks a lot HM." Nancy said.

"Any time, Short Cake," Murdock said smiling, "It's a pleasure working on such a fine aircraft.  Besides, none of the other planes comes with as good company."

Nancy smiled self-consciously, then glanced towards the clock on the wall, "Well, it's late, I guess I should get going."

"Yea, it is late," he said, looking absently at the clock.  He was trying to come up with something to say to keep her from leaving.  

Nancy waited expectantly. She had really enjoyed talking with him and found herself hoping that he would ask her out.

Murdock finally sighed in defeat, his mind was a total blank, "Well," he said, smiling at her ruefully, "Good night."

Nancy looked down at her feet in disappointment, "Goodnight, HM," she said quietly, then turned and headed out of the hangar.

About half way to the door she stopped, 'this is stupid,' she thought to herself, 'he's the most normal guy you've met in ages, if you want to go out with him, _you_ ask _him_.' Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans she turned resolutely, "So, HM, what are you doing for dinner tomorrow?" she asked, rocking back nervously on her heels.

Murdock straightened and looked at her in surprise, "I haven't got any plans," he said, "rarely do."

"Would you like to maybe get a bite to eat with me? Charlie's has great burgers."

Murdock did a mental head slap, 'of course, a date, why hadn't he thought of that?'

The hesitation spooked her, 'damn, guess I read that wrong,' she thought, and rushed forward to fill the silence, "It's alright if you've got other plans . . ."

"NO," Murdock said, louder than he'd intended, "I mean . . . I don't have other plans . . .  and I love a good burger.  Can I pick you up around 5?"

Nancy let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and a relieved smile lit her face, "Five sounds great!" She pulled a men's wallet out of her back pocket and took out a business card.  She walked over to the work bench and picked up a pencil, writing her home address and phone number on the back of the card. 

He moved over to the bench and took the card from her as she stood up and held it out, "It's not hard to find," she said, continuing uncertainly, "and my work number is on the front . . . if something comes up and you can't make it." 

He smiled as he realized that she was just as nervous as he was, "Wild horses couldn't keep me away," he said reassuringly.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said with a shy smile, backing towards the hangar door. After a final wave she turned and walked out to the parking lot.

"Yea, see ya tomorrow," Murdock said as Nancy left. He turned and tapped the card on the bench with a reflective smile, then let out an Indian whoop.  Outside, Nancy heard him and smiled to herself as she headed to her car.

**Thanksgiving Plans**

When Nancy arrived home, the message light on her machine was blinking furiously.  The first two messages were from Riley Adams, her mentor and boss.  He wanted to know how the surveillance had gone. Truth was it had been a bust. Nancy had been watching this guy for three weeks, off and on, and hadn't seen anything to suggest he didn't deserve the workman's comp money he was receiving.  This was one of those cases that was exceedingly tedious - and Riley always managed to pawn those off on her.

The third message was from Trixie Martin, her best friend, who wanted to know where the heck she was and when she was going to stop by for a visit.  Nancy felt bad, it had been at least a week since she'd seen Trixie and she knew that her friend was going stir crazy since she'd decided to take a 1-year sabbatical following the birth of her first child.  Truth was Nancy was a little jealous - at 30 Trixie had it all, a career that she loved as a professor of criminology, a terrific husband, and now a beautiful baby girl.  She resolved to call her in the morning and set up a lunch date.

The fourth and final message was from her father, "Nancy, your Uncle called and he'll be here at 2 for dinner on Thanksgiving Day.  I'm planning on picking up Hannah and bringing her to the house first thing in the morning.  I was just calling to find out when you were planning to come home, Wednesday night or Thursday morning.  Should I wait for you to pick up Hannah?  Give me a call when you get a chance."

It was hard to believe that Thanksgiving was less than a week away.  So her Uncle was going to be able to make it.  Thinking back she was pretty sure she hadn't seen him since last Christmas.  She had mixed feelings about this.  Her Uncle was her only real link to her dead mother, besides her Dad.  He always had interesting stories to tell about when he and Mom were kids, and she never tired of hearing them. But it never failed that he would bring up her "disappointing" choice of careers, failure to finish law school, and other short-comings.  The visits almost always ended with them angry at each other, and Nancy feeling like a disappointment.  

Her father said it was because they were too much alike - which just irritated Nancy more.  Her Uncle said it was because she was too much like her Mother - and she wondered if that was so bad?  In the end, Nancy felt certain it was because she was just herself, independent and stubborn and more than a little determined to make a life for herself that pleased her, and to hell with everyone else that thought they knew what was good for her - including her overbearing Uncle.

**Stringing Them Along**

Saturday morning dawned cool and crisp and sunny.  Murdock woke early, as usual, and headed for the galley kitchen in his small apartment to start coffee.  He went down and picked up his paper then headed back up to the apartment to read the news and drink his coffee.  

The phone rang at 8 - it was Face, "So, how did it go last night?" he asked.

"OK - Aunt Bea is in top-notch working order, once again." Murdock said.

"Great," Face said, "Did anything interesting happen."

"Naw, it was a pretty routine tune up," Murdock said, grinning mischieviously, "Hey, what are you guys having for breakfast, I haven't eaten yet."

"I think Hannibal's making your favorite, pancakes.  You should come over . . . We can talk about your evening."  Face offered.  Murdock hadn't even mentioned Nancy, and he was hesitant to ask outright.

Murdock knew what Face was fishing for, "I'll be over in about half an hour," he said, and hung up.

At the compound, Hannibal had outdone himself. He had pancakes, bacon and sausage and had cut up fresh apples and fried them in maple syrup to put over the cakes.  Murdock took a deep breath as he walked in, "Hannibal, it smells absolutely heavenly in here.  When do we eat?"

"As usual, Murdock, your timing where food is concerned is impeccable.  Everything's ready, and I think Frankie's already set the table.  Let's dig in!" Hannibal called.

They all sat down at the table and passed plates.  Conversation was scarce until most of the food was gone.  Then Face looked at Murdock and asked tentatively, "So, Murdock, Nancy seemed like a reaaly nice girl . . . did you have a nice talk?"

"Yeah!  You know she restored that plane herself?  It wasn't even in running order when she got it and it took her the better part of a year.  No wonder she babies it so much."  Murdock was smiling, knowing that he wasn't providing the information that his friend really wanted.

"Sounds like you two really hit it off," Hannibal said leadingly.

"It was nice to have someone to talk to, since you guys all left." Murdock said looking pointedly around the table.

There was a long silence, broken by Frankie, "Enough!" he exploded, "Just tell us, did you ask her out or not?"

"Nope," Murdock stated flatly.

All four of his friends started talking at once.

"What do you mean, you didn't ask her out . . ." Face said.

"I can't believe you, Murdock . . ." Hannibal chided.

"Fool's losin' it . . ." BA growled.

"You've got to be kidding me . . ." Frankie sputtered.

The outbursts faded to silence as they all realized that Murdock was sitting there, arms crossed, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Alright," Hannibal said, "what's the rest of the story."

"_She_ asked _me_ out . . . to dinner," Murdock's grin was wide enough to split his face in two, "I'm pickin' her up at 5 this afternoon."

"All right, Murdock!" Hannibal said. Face clapped his friend on the shoulder with a big grin.

"Man, ya gotta love women's lib!" Frankie said.

**Two Women and a Baby**

Nancy returned phone calls in the morning when she woke up.  Riley told her that she should pick up surveillance for the afternoon.  She said she'd put in a couple hours, but that was it.  She called her Dad and told him she'd be home Wednesday evening, and would help with Thanksgiving dinner.  Her last call was to Trixie.

Nancy and Trixie met, as planned, for lunch at the local Applebee's.  Nancy was first to arrive and got a table for two and a sling for the baby carrier.  When Trixie arrived, she lugged in the baby carrier and all the paraphernalia that a baby required.  She set the carrier, complete with sleeping baby, into the sling and dropped into the seat opposite Nancy.

"You know, when I was pregnant, I had people falling all over themselves to open the door for me.  Now, when I'm carrying a real live baby and 10 lbs of accompanying luggage, they let the door slam in my face.  Now I ask you, does that make sense?"

Nancy laughed - Trixie always had been one to call it like it was. "Emma sure is growing" she said, looking at the sleeping little girl, "She's 2 months old now, right?" Trixie nodded affirmative.  "She's changing so fast!"

"That's what babies do." Trixie said, "She's really holding her head up now, and looking around.  She recognizes mine and Joe's voice, and she's been smiling - and no it is NOT gas!"

"Are you enjoying your sabbatical?" Nancy asked.

Trixie shrugged, "It's nice being home with Emma . . . I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.  You remember, I was really afraid I was going to get bored, but so far that hasn't happened.  We'll see if that lasts the whole year."

The waitress came, brought coffee, and took their orders. Emma stirred and cooed, then settled back to sleep.

Nancy looked from Emma to Trixie, and said earnestly, "You know, Trix, you're really lucky."

Trixie smiled, "Don't I know it!"

Nancy sat back and took a sip of coffee, then said, "How's Joe been - seems like it's been ages since I've seen him."

"He's fine," Trixie said, "he's actually been taking more time to be at home, with Emma here, which has been really nice. He's scheduled for some training up in New York next week, so I'm going to be on my own for a couple days.  It's kinda cute - he really doesn't want to go, he's afraid Emma will go to college while he's away!" They both laughed. 

"So," Trixie said, "What have you been up to?"

Nancy shrugged, "Not much . . . mostly work.  I've got surveillance and a couple missing persons cases.  Time consuming but not too exciting."

"You know, you really ought to tell Riley to take a flying leap and find a real job.  You'd be a shoe-in for the FBI or CIA - I hear they're both hiring right now."

"You're starting to sound like my Uncle," Nancy said, sitting forward, "I have _no_ desire to go to work for the government - too much bureaucracy.  Besides, what would Riley do without me? He'd have to handle all those boring cases himself!"

"That's what I mean Nan - you were top your class at U of C. What're ya doin' schlepping around for Riley Adams?"

"Well, there are advantages to working for Riley.  I know the work isn't always exciting, and the pay isn't great, but I don't feel bad telling him off, and he lets me get away with it.  _And_ I don't have to worry about world or even national politics when I'm working a case," Nancy chuckled, "And that's not even considering the fact that it _really_ annoys the hell out of my Uncle."

"Still sticking to your Uncle?  You know, Nan, that's a lousy reason to stay in a sucky job," Trixie said.

"My job isn't that 'sucky'," Nancy said with a frown, considering what Trixie had said, "I like what I do.  You know that Adams Investigations has doubled its business since I started there. Riley's thinking of hiring another operative to help with the case load, and he's been hinting at making me a partner," she shrugged, "Not that he has much choice.  If I decided to set out on my own I'd take half his client base with me."

"Besides," she added, "I like Riley, we make a good team.  And I still have a lot to learn."

"I question who teaches whom more," Trixie said, "But I have to admit that you seem suited to this PI business.  I don't think I could do it."

"Don't sell yourself short, Trix, you're just as nosey as I am!" Nancy said, smiling.

"Who're you callin' nosey?" Trixie glared at her friend.

The waitress showed up with their lunch and the two friends dug in with relish.

"So, is there _anything_ else interesting going on in your life?  I haven't seen you for a week and seems like we're having the same conversation we always have," Trixie said.

Nancy looked up at her friend with a little smile, "Well," she said, "I do have a date tonight."

"What - really?!? Trixie exclaimed. "Who is he? Do I know him? Where did you meet? Where's he taking you?"  Trixie ran out of breath.

"Whoa, one question at a time," Nance said, laughing, "Has it been that long since I went on a date?" 

When Trixie started to reply, Nancy held up a hand and said, "Don't answer that."

Trixie laughed, then prompted, "Well . . .," turning as Emma began to fuss.

"I don't think you know him, his name is HM Murdock.  He works for Doc out at the airfield, as a mechanic. That's where we met.  And as far as the date, _I_ asked _him_ out, and _I_ am taking _him_ to Charlie's for dinner."

Trixie was preparing to nurse Emma, who had awakened very hungry. "So, what's he like?" she asked.

"He's kinda shy, but he seems really nice.  He's got one oddball bunch of friends that always seem to be hanging around.  Something about them is familiar . . .," Nancy said reflectively, "Anyway, he's a pilot and served in Vietnam.  He moved out here from LA about a year ago. I guess that's about all I know.  We talked for long time last night, but mostly about air planes."

"What's he look like?" Trixie asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"Nice . . .," Nancy said smiling thoughtfully, "he's about 6'4", with brown hair and brown eyes . . . and an _incredible_ smile."

"Sounds promising," Trixie said approvingly. "You'll have to bring him over for dinner some night so I can meet him."

Nancy laughed, "Let's see how the first date goes first!"

After leaving Trixie, Nancy went over and spent another few unproductive hours on surveillance.  At four o'clock, she headed home and called Riley.  

"Adams Investigations," Riley answered on the first ring.

"Hey Riley," Nancy said, "This surveillance is going nowhere."

"You haven't been at it _that_ long - see what happens tonight." Riley said, "You know these kind of things take persistence.

"As much as I'd love to spend the evening in my car watching a guy scratch himself and drink beer in front of the TV, I can't," Nancy said facetiously, "I have a date at 5."

"You've got a _date_?" Riley said disbelievingly.

"Yes, I have a date," Nancy said flatly.

"With a guy?" Riley asked.

"No, with an ape," she said irritably, "Of course with a guy."

"Sorry . . ." Riley said hesitantly, "It's just that, you know, your dance card has never been that full . . ."

Nancy was beginning to get angry, "I know I'm no model, Riley, but I'm not exactly a hag either . . ."

"That's _not_ what I meant," Riley said, "You're just always sort of . . . stand-offish, _especially_ when it comes to the opposite sex. I'm just surprised that you're going out. It's not like you've ever dated a whole lot, at least since I've known you."

"That's because I have an asshole of a boss that makes me work all the time."

"Now I know that's not true - you're boss is like solid gold," Riley said teasingly, then continued more seriously, "Come on, Nan, you're a great girl, and I love working with you.  You're really good at what you do, and you don't take crap from anybody - which is a definite plus in this line of work.  But that's just it," he hesitated, "You can be kind of _intimidating_."

"Thanks, Riley," Nancy said, frowning, "you're really setting me at ease about this date tonight."

"It'll be fine," Riley said soothingly, "Just don't be too . . . you. Ya know what I mean?"

"No, I don't know what you mean.  If I'm not me, who am I supposed to be?

"You know, act like a . . . a normal woman." Riley grimaced as he said it, knowing the reaction was not going to be pleasant.

"Go to hell, Riley."

**Something in Common**

Nancy had been ready for about half an hour and sitting in the living room getting more and more nervous as the minutes passed. She kept going over her conversation with Riley, and each time she got more worried.  She almost jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang at five o'clock sharp.

She walked to the door and took a deep breath before opening it.  Murdock was standing on the front steps, holding a fistful of daisies and looking just as nervous as she felt.  

"Hi," Nancy said with a tentative smile, "Come on in."

"Hi," Murdock grinned and stepped through the door.  He held out the flowers, as if on afterthought, "Um, these are for you."

Nancy took the flowers, "Thanks, daisies are one of my favorites. Come on in to the kitchen, and I'll put them in some water."

"This is a great place," Murdock said, looking around as he followed her through to the kitchen, "Real roomy."

"Thanks," Nancy said, pulling a vase out from under the sink and filling it with water, "Where do you live?"

"Over on the east side of town, in a little efficiency apartment. It's not much, but I'm accustomed to cramped quarters. Not sure what I'd do if I had this kind of space."

"Lived in a small place in LA, huh?" Nancy asked conversationally as she arranged the flowers and finished filling the vase with water.

Murdock shoved his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath - this topic didn't usually come up quite so early in a conversation, but there wasn't any avoiding it, and he really wanted to get it over with.  It was better to know what she thought now, before he got too attached.  Erica's reaction to the revelation had just about done him in. 

"I lived at the VA in Brentwood . . . in the mental ward," he said, then rushed to  explain, "Towards the end of the war I . . . we . . .," he took a deep breath, "my unit spent time in a POW camp and I had trouble dealing with what happened there, among other things . . . " he let the sentence trail off.

Nancy set the vase on the counter, "Post-traumatic stress?" she asked curiously

He nodded, looking down, "Yea, that's what they call it.  It's not something they really cure you of, they just help you learn how to manage it.  I do pretty good most of the time."

Nancy nodded, "You know, I learned a lot about the theories surrounding treatment in a criminal psych class.  I understand a lot of Vietnam vets suffer from it.  Victims of violent crime often suffer from it as well."

Murdock hadn't been prepared for this flat acceptance of his past residency at the VA, and found himself inexplicably pushing the issue, "So, it doesn't bother you that I spent ten years living in the mental ward of a VA hospital?" he asked pointedly.

Nancy turned and looked at him in surprise, "Do you want it to bother me?" her eyes narrowed, "Post-traumatic stress is nothing to be ashamed of.  I suffer from it, myself." 

Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd blurted out.  She looked away suddenly, heading towards the refrigerator, "Can I get you something to drink, OJ, iced tea, milk?"

"Sure, I'll have a glass of iced tea," Murdock said, taken aback by her statement, "What - - - what happened?"

Nancy filled the glasses reflectively.  She didn't usually talk about this with anyone, and certainly not with someone she'd just met.  She walked over to the small table and handed him his drink, sitting down across from him.  She hesitated, but finally said, "When I was four, two men broke into our house.  My Mom and I were home alone 'cause Dad was out of town for some reason.  I don't really remember the night very well.  Anyways, Mom heard them coming in and managed to get me hidden and quiet before they got upstairs.  But apparently I watched as they raped and then killed my Mother."

"You don't remember?" Murdock asked.

"Not really.  I have nightmares about it, but it's hard to figure out what's real and what isn't.  I went to therapy for several years, and it helped me learn to deal with the anxiety, but I still don't remember," Nancy gazed out the window as if trying to see the past, then shrugged, "In the end the doctor said it was probably just as well that I _didn't_ remember."

Murdock's brown eyes were sympathetic, "I'm really sorry about your Mom, Nancy.  It must have been really difficult to come to terms with it, especially at such a young age." 

Nancy looked at him with a discerning gaze.  She had had several people over the years tell her the same basic thing. But coming from Murdock she felt certain that it was more than just a platitude.

"Thanks," she said sincerely.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping the drinks, each lost in their own thoughts.  Nancy found the lyrics to a song running through her head:

_Like a crumbling tower you fall to pieces_

_And mend the cracks on the surface_

_And hope to God nobody notices_

_The best of you fell in the creases_

She considered how appropriate these words were for her.  Sometimes it was very easy to hide behind that façade of normalcy that therapy had allowed her to construct. But deep inside she knew that her life would always be affected by what she had seen - even if she didn't remember it except in her nightmares. She could certainly understand Murdock's uncertainty about her reaction to his past residency at the VA - and she admired him for bringing it out in the open so readily. 

She pushed her chair back, and smiled at him warmly, "You know, this conversation has taken a decidedly depressing turn. Why don't we head on over to Charlie's and see if we can find something more upbeat to talk about."

Murdock grinned and stood up as well, "You got it, besides, I'm starving."

**First Date**

When they arrived at Charlie's, they took a booth near the back of the restaurant.  Charlie's was a bar and grill with a big screen TV in the bar to pull in the sports crowd.  At just a little after five it was still pretty empty, with the big crowd coming in around seven for whatever prime-time game was playing.

They placed their drink orders and then sat flipping through the menus and talking idly about the entrees.

A thought seemed to occur to Murdock and he looked up from the menu, "Oh, Doc said to tell you that he put the tune up on your tab."

"I figured he would." Nancy said, "Doc doesn't usually work gratis."  She smiled at him, "It was worth it.  I got the bonus of a handsome escort for the evening."

Murdock grinned too, "Don't let Doc hear you say that, he already told me he was going to dock my pay for the dating services rendered.  Next thing you know he'll be setting up a paid escort service."

"I can see the ads now, 'Dinner and a Lube,'" Nancy said.  Murdock burst out laughing.  Nancy's face reddened and then she started laughing, too, "I cannot believe I said that." 

They were still laughing when the waitress stopped by to take their orders. After she left, Nancy asked, "So where is home? You said you lived in LA for ten years, but you didn't mention where you grew up."

"Well, I was born in Houston, but when my Mom died I guess Dad couldn't handle a hyperactive 8-year-old, so he shipped me off to my grandparents in Oakland, Texas," Murdock said.

"I sometimes wonder how _my_ Dad did it," Nancy said speculatively, "it's gotta be tough raising a kid on your own. Are you going home for the holidays or sticking around Langley?"

"No 'home' to go to," Murdock said ruefully, "My Dad basically dumped me on Gram and Gramps, and disappeared, I haven't seen him in more than 15 years.  Gram died when I was 16, and Gramps was only 6-months behind her," he smiled in reminiscence, "I don't think Gramps wanted to go on without Gram - they were real close. As for my Dad . . . he didn't even come to their funerals."

"I'm so sorry," Nancy said.

"Don't be, it's not your fault," Murdock shrugged, "Besides, my Dad was no great loss and I figure Gram and Gramps are still keepin' an eye on me."

"So, how about you, where did you grow up?" he asked.

"Just outside of Chicago, Dad still lives there and I can go visit fairly often, with Aunt Bea." Nancy said. "What are you doing for Thanksgiving, if you don't go home?"

"Oh, Hannibal will make his signature roasted turkey, and we'll have Thanksgiving dinner together.  The guys are the closest thing I have to family, now."

"It's great that you've stayed so close all these years," Nancy said.  She got that far away look in her face again, like she was trying to remember something.  She looked at Murdock quizzically and asked, "Is BA like a professional wrestler or something?"

Murdock cocked his head to the side, "If you're asking 'cause of how he dresses, naw, that's just the big guy.  He likes to be unique."

"No, I was asking because he seems so familiar, and I can't figure out why." Nancy said.

In explanation, Murdock offered, "Oh, BA just has one of those faces."

"Oh yea, I see guys that look like that every day." Nancy said raising her eyebrows.

"Yea, like I said, one of those faces," Murdock repeated, abruptly changing the subject, "Look, here's dinner - it looks great.  I'm starving."

Nancy laughed, "Yea, you kinda look like you're starving, you sure you get enough to eat?"

"It's high metabolism - I can't seem to put on any weight no matter how much I eat.  Drives Facey nuts!" Murdock said, picking up his burger and digging in.

"'Face', where did that nickname come from?"

"We call him 'Face' 'cause he's _so_ good lookin' that's all you notice.  You totally miss the hands which are busy taking everything you got." Murdock said, smiling, "He was our supply officer in 'Nam.  He was known as the Miracle Worker.  He even kept Hannibal in those expensive cigars - most of the time," he amended.

"And 'Hannibal', that's an unusual name - makes me think of Hannibal Lecter." Nancy said with a grimace.

"His given name is John, but he's the man with the plan.  Developed a reputation as a great strategist, like Hannibal of Carthage - you know the guy that crossed the Alps with an army? So he was nicknamed Hannibal by some of the upper brass, and it stuck."

"BA . . . ?"

"Stands for 'Bad Attitude', and trust me he earns the nickname," Murdock said.  He grinned mischievously "But, if you really want to annoy him, call him 'Scooter', that's what his Mama calls him."

"He looks like he could snap me like a toothpick," Nancy said, shaking her head, "I don't really think I want to annoy him."

"Oh, annoying the big guy is something I do a lot - though not intentionally . . . OK, not _always_ intentionally," Murdock amended, "He's really a big pussy cat."

"Sounds like you don't get along very well," Nancy said.

"Oh, I know BA'll always be there for me.  The problem is, he'd give me the shirt off his back, but he'd be torn as to whether to let me wear it or use it to string me up by my toes!"

'Hannibal, Face, and BA,' Nancy thought, out loud she said "How does Frankie fit in?"

"Frankie's a late addition, I guess you could say he was kinda drafted." Murdock said, "He didn't serve with us in 'Nam.  He's a special effects artist, worked with Hannibal on a couple of movies."

"Hannibal's an actor?" Nancy asked.

"I guess you could say that . . . he starred as the Aquamaniac in all those B-movies that came out over the past decade." 

Murdock glanced around and said, "You're pretty good at keeping the subject off of yourself," he said, "now tell me about Nancy Clay."

Nancy smiled and said, "Nothing much to tell.  I grew up in Chicago . . . went to U of C . . .  graduated with a degree in Human Psych.  I tried Law School for about a year, but decided I didn't like it.  I've always been kind of inquisitive and I absolutely loved _The Man from Uncle_," she added with a wide grin, "So I thought I'd try law enforcement in some way shape or form."

"How'd you end up in Langley?" Murdock asked.

"I went to the FBI Academy at Quantico for training.  It was a great experience but I discovered that I wasn't cut out for the . . . umm . . . discipline required of an FBI Agent. Sooo, I dropped back and punted, that's how I ended up at Adams Investigations.  Private Investigation seemed a natural place to go with my background."

They had basically finished their meals as they were talking, and a short, dark-haired man, who looked like a manager, stopped by the table, "Hello Nancy," he said familiarly.

"Hi Charlie, how are you?" Nancy said warmly.  Charlie looked at Murdock, then back at Nancy and asked, "Who's your friend?"

Nancy introduced him, "Charlie Clark, meet HM Murdock."  The two men shook hands.

Charlie grinned broadly, "You'll have to excuse me, we aren't used to seeing Nan here with a man.  She's usually sitting in a booth by herself, reading a book and looking totally unapproachable."

"Thanks, Charlie, I needed someone to come over and make HM want to run away." Nancy said pressing her lips together in a thin line.

"I was just impressed that a man had the guts to ask you out," Charlie said, his eyes taking on a teasing gleam.

Murdock was unabashed, "Unfortunately I can't claim that honor - Nancy asked me out."

Charlie looked at Nancy in surprise, but didn't comment.  Instead he indicated the piano in the corner, and wheedled her, "You haven't been in for awhile, are you willing to provide some impromptu entertainment?"

Nancy looked decidedly uncomfortable, "Charlie, I don't think . . ." But Charlie interrupted, "Come on, Nancy, I'm sure HM would love to hear you sing."  Murdock grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

Nancy looked from one to the other, shaking her head, "It would be rude . . ." 

But even as she said it, Charlie was pulling her up from the table and steering her towards the piano, "Come on, I'm sure HM won't mind and one song won't kill you!"

Nancy looked over her shoulder at Murdock, who was watching with interest.  "Alright, one song," Nancy relented, "but that is _it_." 

She sat down at the piano, with her hands on her knees and thought a few minutes about what to play.  Finally she decided on a song by Atoosa:

_You can lie but I am on your mind_

_And the way that you've been searching I'll be searching all my life_

_You remind me of an old, old song on the radio_

_That I used to sing to myself at night_

_You remind me of an old, old friend that I used to know_

_And when I think of him it always makes me smile_

_I'm pulling time through the trenches_

_With you burning down my fences_

_Run with me in gold and purple dresses_

_Speaking your native tongue, draw me into trances._

_You remind me of the gold that floats through my window_

_Bleeding through purple horizon folds_

_There are times that I'd admit that I miss you_

_And watch the fall bring in the cold_

_Sweep out the old_

_I'm pulling time through the trenches_

_With you burning down my fences_

_Run with me in gold and purple dressed_

_Speaking your native tongue, come on draw me into trances_

_So I'm going to shut down all my senses_

_When you scream, you can be offensive_

_Did you know I would rather be reckless?_

_And panting I'd much rather be breathless_

_You can lie, but I am on you mind_

_And the way that you've been burning I'll be burning all my life._

Murdock was still clapping when she got back to the booth, and she gave him a little mock bow before sitting down.

"That was great!" Murdock said, "I've never heard that song before. I really liked it."

Nancy smiled, "It's by an independent artist I heard at a coffee shop awhile ago - I really enjoy her music."

She glanced back over her shoulder, than looked back at Murdock, "I'm really sorry about that.  Charlie thinks it's his mission in life to get me to be more . . . out-going."

As if on cue, Charlie came back over, "Not bad, not bad at all - wish I could convince you to do it on a more regular basis," He turned to Murdock, "You know, I never would have known she could play and sing like that if I hadn't gotten her drunk one night.  Just a little tip," he added with a broad grin and a wink, before turning away.  Nancy just closed her eyes and shook her head in dismay.

The waitress had brought over the check and dropped it on Murdock's side of the table.  Murdock picked it up, looking at it idly.

"Hey," Nancy said, snatching it out of his hand, "I asked you out, so I pay - no arguments," she added when he started to protest.

"OK," he agreed, "but only if you let _me_ take _you_ out for dessert."

"You have room for dessert?" she asked incredulously.

"I _always_ have room for dessert!" Murdock smiled, "There's a great little diner near my apartment that has the best pie in the world, not to mention good coffee."

"Sounds good - The sports crowd is starting to show up and it's getting a little loud in here, anyway," Nancy said.  She left enough money to cover the bill and tip, and they left for the diner.

They talked non-stop on the road.  At the diner, they took another booth, this time near the door. The waitress, who greeted Murdock like an old friend, brought coffee over and they ordered pie.

They talked easily.  Murdock shared some stories of the team's antics, being careful to limit it to non-mission-related stories.  Nancy shared some of the more amusing stories from her work with Riley.  Their pie came and they ate it, drank coffee and continued a non-stop stream of chatter.

"You are never going to get to sleep tonight," Nancy said, as Murdock drained his fourth cup of coffee, "I'd have a killer buzz with that much caffeine this time of night."

"Naw," Murdock said, "you want a real buzz you drink Mountain Dew - the caffeine and sugar combo is killer.  After a six-pack you need coffee to bring you back down!"

By now they had been sitting and talking in the diner for a couple hours. Nancy stood and said, "Well I've got to drain some of this coffee, or I'm gonna float away!"

When Nancy came back they resumed their conversation, talking about movies and songs they liked or disliked, TV shows, whatever came to mind.  At around 11, the waitress started cleaning up around them, a tolerant smile on her face.  An hour later she came over, "I hate to do this to you kids, but we're closin' up," she said.

Murdock looked at his watch, "Jeez, look at the time.  Sorry Blanche, didn't realize it was gettin' so late.  Hope we haven't held you up."

"You ain't hurtin nothin', HM," she said smiling, "I hated to interrupt.  You two seemed to be having such a good time."

Murdock handed Blanche enough money to cover the bill, with a generous tip, "Sorry for taking up space for so long Blanche.  Buy Terra an ice cream cone on me. G'night!"

He held the door for Nancy and they walked on out to his truck.  He drove slowly back to her place.

"You must eat there a lot." Nancy said.

"I eat there a fair amount, it's convenient," Murdock agreed, "and Blanchey's a sweet lady.  She's raising her granddaughter on her own, and I don't think she's got two nickels to rub together."

Nancy looked at him appraisingly, "You're a really nice guy HM Murdock."

"You're not so bad yourself," he said, smiling.

They rode in comfortable silence the rest of the way to her townhouse.  He parked in the drive and walked Nancy to the door.  She pulled her key out and opened the door.  He was standing a couple steps down, with his hands dug deep in his pockets.

Nancy turned in the doorway, "I had a really good time tonight, HM."

"Me, too," he said smiling broadly at her, "maybe we could do it again, real soon. Like . . . ," he cocked his head to one side, "tomorrow?" his tone was hopeful.

Nancy had to smile at the puppy dog eyes, "OK, tomorrow it is," she agreed readily, "What are we gonna do?"

"How about a picnic lunch? I make a mean chicken salad!" He said, "I'll pick you up around 11?"

"OK," she agreed, "do you want me to bring anything?"

"Just yourself," he said. 

He moved up a step, so he was one step down from where she was standing.  With their height difference, it put their faces at about the same level.  He smiled tenderly, looking into her sky blue eyes, then with a hand behind her neck he gave her a brief but firm kiss on the lips. He pulled back and looked into her eyes again. 

She opened her eyes and smiled shyly at him before looking down self-consciously.

"Good night, Nancy," he said warmly, backing down a step and putting his hands back in his pockets.  He turned and walked down the steps.

She looked up, "Goodnight, HM," she replied, belatedly.

At the bottom of the steps he turned, a wide grin once again plastered across his face, "Can't wait 'til tomorrow!" he said taking a few steps backwards as he spoke.  With a final wave he turned and jogged to the truck.

Nancy waved, too, then backed into the house and closed the door.  She leaned against the wall and rested her head on the door.  Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her face felt hot and flushed.  'Man, I'm like a teenybopper getting her first kiss, what is wrong with me?' Nancy thought to herself.  She closed her eyes and shook her head, but her lips curved in a smile.

**How Did it Go?**

Murdock actually woke up kind of late for him - it was almost 8:00 - and the phone was ringing.

"Hullo?" he said groggily.

"Did I wake you up?" Face asked in surprise.

"Maybe . . ." Murdock said, lifting his head and looking at the clock.

"Just called to see how things went last night," Face said, "You must have been out late."

"Got home about one." Murdock said. He smiled thinking about the evening.

"So . . ." Face prompted.

"We had a great time," Murdock said, "In fact, we're goin' out again today.  I'm picking her up at noon for a picnic."

"Another date, already, huh?" Face asked, "Where are you gonna take her?"

"I thought we could go in to DC to the Mall and have lunch then maybe check out the Smithsonian museums," Murdock said.

"Murdock, are you sure you want to go to a _museum_ - doesn't sound very . . . _romantic_," Face said.

Murdock considered what his friend had said, "I don't know, Facey, I think Nancy will like it.  I thought we'd go to the air and space museum."

Face sighed, "Murdock, it's your second date, you should take her somewhere more . . . normal."

"Listen Face, I know you mean well, but I gotta do this my way," Murdock said.

Nancy woke late, as well.  She got a shower and got dressed, changing her shirt three times before settling on her white cotton button down, with blue pin stripes.  She wore her usual jeans and white tennis shoes.  She looked at herself in the mirror, and decided that while it wasn't anything spectacular, it was at least presentable. Then she shook herself, it wasn't like her to worry about what she was wearing.

The phone rang, and she ran down the stairs to answer it, "Hello?"

"So, how did it go?" Trixie asked bluntly.

Nancy smiled, "Good."

"And . . .," Trixie asked, "you aren't getting away with that.  C'mon, give."

Nancy had walked into the kitchen to start the coffee, "We had a nice meal at Charlie's, and then HM took me over to Mabel's Diner, and we had coffee and pie, and talked." Nancy smiled as she remembered the evening.

"You sound kinda . . . dreamy, must have been some conversation," Trixie said.

"It was nice, we talked about all kinds of things.  You know, kind of . . . got to know each other," Nancy said.

"So, are you going to see him again?"

"Yes," Nancy said, "we're going on a picnic - and this time he asked me."

"Nancy, that's great! I mean it."

"You make it sound like it's amazing that he asked me out after the first date," Nancy said in consternation.

"It's just that . . . well Nan, you know the few guys that I've convinced you to go out with have said that you can be a bit _intimidating_."

"Thank you, Riley Adams!" Nancy said angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Trixie asked.

"That is exactly what Riley told me yesterday, before my date.  Well, for your information, HM doesn't seem to be _intimidated_ at all."

Trixie found herself smiling, "Don't get mad Nancy, I'm glad he's not intimidated. Maybe you finally found a guy that can handle you."

"I do not need to be _handled_ by anyone," Nancy said testily.

"Nancy, you are purposely misunderstanding me, now stop it," Trixie admonished, "I mean that he isn't scared off by your . . . umm . . . confidence."

"What you really mean is that I'm overbearing." Nancy said.

"No - just very competent and self-sufficient." Trixie said, "A lot of men find that to be a put off."

"So, basically, you are once again agreeing with Riley, and think I'm not a 'normal' woman. Honestly, do you two get together and think, 'How can we make Nancy realize that she's a bitch?'"

"You say 'bitch' like it's a bad thing," Trixie said laughing out loud at the indignance in Nancy's tone, "I was merely pointing out that part of the reason you haven't gone out more is that you tend to scare men off."

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter, because HM doesn't seem to be bothered it," Nancy said. 'At least not yet,' she thought.

**Second Date**

Murdock picked Nancy up at noon, as planned, and they headed into DC.  Traffic was light, for Washington, and they made good time into the center of town.  Finding a parking place was more of a challenge.  Once parked, Murdock grabbed a backpack, stuffed with food and drinks, out of the back of the truck and slung it over his shoulder and they headed for the Mall.

It was a nice day, in the upper sixties and sunny.  Still, they both wore jackets, because when the breeze blew and the sun wasn't shining it felt chilly.

"Maybe a picnic wasn't such a great idea," Murdock said as a strong breeze whipped up, briefly.

"Oh, I don't know," Nancy said, hugging her arms around herself, "It's not bad for mid November, and it's good to take advantage of a nice day.  There won't be too many more of them!"

Murdock looked at her and smiled, "I'm glad you don't mind.  I've been feeling a bit claustrophobic . . . I was ready for a day out in the open."

"I thought you were used to cramped quarters," Nancy teased.

"Not _all_ the time," he said.

"Yea, from all the stories you told about Face breakin' you out of the VA I question just how much time you actually spent there," She cocked an eyebrow at him.

He grinned, "I'll never tell."

They found a spot near Mirror Lake, underneath one of the old elm trees and leaned back against the tree and ate.  Murdock had made chicken salad sandwiches, carrot, green pepper, and celery sticks, and had also brought a bag of pretzels.  He had a thermos of coffee and for dessert, apple wedges and caramel dip.  They enjoyed the weather, the view along the mall, and people watching. 

Nancy felt totally at ease and relaxed.  She'd never met anyone like HM, and she was really enjoying his company.  He was pointing at the Lincoln Memorial and telling her some historical fact, and she found herself thinking that he was the most intriguing, and handsome man she'd ever met.

"Ugh," Nancy said awhile later, taking a napkin and wiping here fingers, "I think I ate too much!" She added hastily, "Everything was delicious - you do make great chicken salad!"

"Thanks." 

"Maybe we should just lay down and take a nap," Nancy suggested, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

Murdock turned and looked at her - she looked so peaceful and beautiful.  He resisted the urge to touch her cheek and instead said, "I think we should get up and walk - that'll counteract the effects of overeating."

Nancy opened one eye and looked at him, "Are you some kind of masochist or something?" She asked.

"No, but if we don't get moving, we won't make the Air and Space Museum before it closes at 5," Murdock said, standing up.

Nancy looked up at him with a big grin, "The Air and Space Museum is a great idea!  Jeez, I haven't been there since I was a kid!" Murdock had to smile at her enthusiasm.  He helped her to her feet and they packed up the leftovers, threw their trash away, and walked on down the Mall.  As they walked along, their hands fell together naturally, and they continued hand in hand down past the Washington Monument and to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

They spent the rest of the afternoon at the museum wandering around and discussing the various displays.  Murdock tried to convince Nancy that they should hide out in on of the rooms so they could stay after closing.  As it was they didn't leave at 5 and a guard came hunting them down and was not very happy.  He escorted them to the door at 5:30, with a stern admonishment about listening to the closing announcements and watched as they walked out to make sure they left.

Nancy and Murdock were laughing and glancing over their shoulders at the guard as they left the museum, "Jeez, you'd think we were gonna steal somethin'," Murdock said, "I feel like a kid that got caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

"You're a pilot caught in the air and space museum after hours - I'd say the 'kid with his hand in the cookie jar' analogy is pretty apt!" Nancy said, laughing again.

"You're in the same boat, Short Cake!" Murdock said, affectionately. He put an arm around her impulsively and squeezed.  She laughed and gave him a playful nudge, "Hey - be nice I'm just telling the truth," Murdock said in mock pain.

"You're just lucky I didn't rat you out to the guard," Nancy said teasingly, "If he knew you were planning on trying to spend the night, he'd have your picture posted at the door like a wanted man!"

They teased and joked as they continued down the Mall, taking their time. By the time they'd worked their way back down to the Washington Monument, it was after six, and they were both getting hungry, again.  They headed up Virginia Avenue to the nearest café and had a leisurely dinner.  After dinner, they lingered over dessert and coffee, and then headed back towards the Lincoln Memorial, past the State Department.  They walked arm in arm, taking their time and enjoying the pleasant evening.  It had become cooler as the evening darkened, but it was still clear and the breeze had died down.  

As they approached the Mall, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial was almost directly in front of them, and they wandered in that direction.  They stopped at one end of the Wall, and stood still, both lost in their own thoughts.  A cool breeze blew, and Nancy was brought out of her reverie by a shiver running up her spine.  

It was the first time she'd been to the Wall.  She had heard a lot about it since it was dedicated just a few years ago, in 1982, but she had always avoided downtown DC - traffic was terrible and she had no real reason to go. 

Now, standing here, she was struck by the simplicity of the statement. It seemed hard to believe that all of these people had had their lives cut short in Vietnam.  The realization was humbling. Just thinking about the number of people, both living and dead, that had been touched by the conflict in Vietnam was sobering.

She looked up at Murdock, he had been there and lived through it, he and his friends.  That kind of experience had to forge a deep bond. It was no wonder they were so close.  She wondered what his thoughts were as he stood there gazing at the monument.  He was standing right next to her, but from the look on his face she could tell that in his mind he was somewhere else entirely.

After a few minutes, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "HM . . ." she said quietly.  He seemed to come back to the present slowly, and turned to look at her, a smile appearing gradually as he took in her presence. 

"Seemed like you were a million miles away," Nancy said with a tender smile.

"Naw, just a few thousand," he said looking back at the Wall, "Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday, the memories are so vivid . . . it's almost like I'm there again."

Nancy put an arm around his waist and squeezed, "That's OK, as long as you come back," she said.

He turned towards her, again, and looked deep into her eyes, "I'd always come back to you, Short Cake."

Their eyes locked and the world around them seemed to fade away. They moved together, as if in slow motion, and when their lips met, they were both swept up by feelings that they had been holding in check. When they parted, Murdock smiled as the wind blew her hair around her face in a cloud.  He reached up to help her tame it, his fingers caressing her cheek in the process.

Nancy felt an electric jolt at the touch, which only served to make her feel more uncertain about the whole thing.  The kiss had caught her off-guard, and looking in his eyes, she could feel herself drowning in the feelings he was arousing.  She was beginning to feel the first tingling of panic, with an accompanying, almost overwhelming, urge to escape.

She latched onto the first excuse that came to mind.  Glancing at her watch, she said hesitantly, "It's getting late - and I've got a whole week's worth of work to get done in two and a half days.  I really should be getting home," She looked up at him with a weak smile.

He slid his arm around her shoulders, "OK," he said, turning her in the direction of the truck. Nancy allowed him to hold her, unwilling to totally break the connection, as she attempted to quell the panic and sort out what she was feeling.

On the way home, she was grateful for the gear shift between them.  It gave her some breathing space and a chance to get her chaotic emotions back under some semblance of control.  

At her townhouse, Murdock walked her to the door. When she turned after opening the door, he was standing close, and Nancy felt that same electric jolt she had earlier.  They kissed again, and both found themselves reluctant to end the evening.  

Nancy was finding it nearly impossible to think clearly with him standing so close, and finally broke the contact, stepping back into the house, "Good night, HM," she said, a little breathlessly.

He smiled at her tenderly, "Good night, Short Cake.  Can I call you tomorrow?"

Nancy nodded mutely, then found her voice, "I may be late . . ."

He chuckled, "That's OK, I don't have anything better to do than wait for a lovely lady to get home."

Nancy smiled shyly at him, her cheeks reddening at the compliment, "I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow, then."

"Can't wait! 'Night again, Short Cake - and sweet dreams!"

****

**Back to Reality**

Nancy woke the next morning, and just lay in bed staring at the ceiling and thinking about the previous night.  She had never before felt like that with anyone, and in many ways it scared her to death.  She didn't want to need anyone or anything - she'd always prided herself on her independence and self-sufficiency.  Now, she found her thoughts crowded with HM Murdock.

She dragged herself out of bed and headed in to the shower. As she showered and dressed she ran over the entire evening in her head.  Just thinking about the kiss made her feel hot and flushed all over again. 

Nancy sighed audibly as she headed down the stairs, she needed to put Murdock out of her head and concentrate on the day ahead.  He had promised he'd call that evening after work, and she found herself wishing the day away, anxious to hear his voice. 'Get a grip, Clay,' she thought to herself sternly.  

She glanced at the clock in the kitchen, it was late, and she really needed to get into the office and find out what the case load was for the week.  Riley had told her they had a new client, and they still had several other open cases, besides - and it was a short week to begin with. She didn't even bother to make any coffee, deciding to pick some up at the McDonald's drive thru on her way to work.

Murdock had to get to work, too, and as was his habit, he was up early.  He had breakfast, then called Doc and made sure that the General wasn't scheduled in before heading out for the air field. 

As he drove, his thoughts turned to the woman that he was now certain he was falling for.  More than anything he had wanted to stay with Nancy last night, but he didn't think she was quite ready for that step, yet.  Something had told him that he was going to have to take this slow - but he was hoping not too slow.  

It was a long day. Doc had gotten in three planes with problems, none of them straight-forward.  Face had stopped by around 10, but Murdock was elbow-deep in a Corsair and didn't have time to talk.  So Face asked if he wanted to come by the compound for lunch and he agreed to show up around noon.

When Murdock walked in at the compound, he could smell a roast - one of his favorite meals!  He wandered in to the kitchen, and Hannibal turned and greeted him, "Hey Murdock, how's it goin'?"

"Sure smells good, Colonel," Murdock said, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Sure, why don't you set the table while I finish carving the roast."

"Where're Face, BA, and Frankie?" Murdock asked as he started getting out plates and silverware.

"Out back, running the course," Hannibal said, "I told Face and BA that we were getting' soft. Work out wouldn't hurt you any, either." Murdock grimaced and took the stack of plates and silverware out to the dining room table.

"We've missed you hanging out here this past weekend," Hannibal ventured, "You and Nancy seem to have really hit it off."

"Hannibal, I've never met anybody like Nan," Murdock said, "You know, she knows about my time at the VA - it doesn't seem to bother her a bit." Hannibal knew that Murdock had become sensitized to people's reactions to him when they found out that he had been a mental patient.  He understood the difficulty, even the Team had been uncertain about Murdock when they had first moved out to Langley - worried about how he would do out on his own.  But the last year had proven that Murdock could handle the outside world, and everything it threw at him.  He was proud of how Murdock had weathered the difficulties.  

Certainly Stockwell hadn't made Murdock's transition any easier, with his obvious antagonism towards the pilot.  Hannibal knew that Stockwell and Murdock had crossed paths during the war, but he had never been able to figure out the whole story. He remembered when he had first started looking into Murdock's background, before he joined the Team, he had been concerned about certain inconsistencies in his record.  Face had managed to dig up some information indicating that Murdock had been CIA, and then transferred into Army Intelligence. He knew Stockwell had been in Army Intel during 'Nam, and suspected that he and Murdock had worked together during that time, but he had never been able to get Murdock to discuss it.  In fact, Murdock refused to talk about his time in either the CIA or Army Intelligence, at all.

"There is one thing, though," Murdock said, interrupting Hannibal's thoughts, "She recognizes you guys . . . she hasn't remembered but she was feeling me out about you pretty thoroughly at dinner Saturday. Do you think it's a problem?"

Hannibal shook his head, "I doubt if she's the first - Stockwell's been giving us quite a bit more freedom, and I'm sure there are people that have recognized us.  It's no secret that we escaped the execution.  I don't think it'll hurt if Nancy knows. But I'd keep her at arms-length from Stockwell, himself."

"Trust me," Murdock said seriously, "I don't want Nan anywhere near Stockwell."

The back door opened and BA, Face, and Frankie came panting in, looking exhausted, "Good work out, guys?" He asked, grinning.

"Hannibal, where did you go? You were the one that said _we_ were getting soft, not just me, BA, and Frankie, but you included." Face plopped on the sofa and groaned, he eyed Murdock, "Besides, it's not fair - Murdock should be out there, too."

"Don't whine Lieutenant, it's not very becoming," Hannibal said, "Besides, I had to finish lunch and Murdock has a job."

"You guys better get cleaned up, lunch'll be on the table in 10 minutes," He added.

One by one, Face, BA, and Frankie all got showers, and about 20 minutes later they were all seated at the table, and eating.

"So Murdock, are you going to be seeing Nancy again?" Face asked.

"Hope so," Murdock said between mouthfuls, "I'm gonna call her tonight, after work."

"She could come over for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday," Hannibal offered.

"She's headed home to Chicago for Thanksgiving," Murdock said.

"She from Chicago," BA asked, "What part?"

Murdock looked at BA thoughtfully, "You know, I'm not sure, I'll have to find out" he said, then turned to Hannibal, switching subjects, "Hey, Hannibal, did you still need me to pick up the turkey for dinner?"

"Yes Murdock, and try to get a nice bird," Hannibal said.

"Yea, but don't get too attached to it!" Face teased.

**The Push**

Nancy didn't get home that night until almost 8:00 and she was exhausted.  She'd gotten a break in the missing child case that they had been working on for a month, and had spent the better part of the day in the car running down leads.  It had been worth it, though.  She had found the little girl, with her estranged father, in a small seedy motel outside of Chatham, Maryland.  

The message light was blinking, and Nancy found herself thinking of HM, who had said he'd call after work.  She pressed the play button and flopped on the couch, listening to the messages.  One was from her father, just checking to make sure that nothing had come up to keep her from coming home for Thanksgiving.  The second was from Murdock, and Nancy found herself smiling as she listened, "Hey, Short Cake, guess you're not back from work yet.  Give me a call when you get in.  I'll be sitting by the phone waiting!" then he gave his phone number.

Nancy picked up the phone, and then put it back down, uncertainly.  'What is up with me - I haven't even taken off my jacket.' Nancy felt more than a little annoyed with herself.  It was like Murdock had control over her actions.  She deliberately delayed picking up the phone, testing her resolve; getting up and putting her jacket away; going into the kitchen and getting herself a drink.  Finally, she gave in to the urge 10 minutes later and dialed his number.  True to his word, he must have been sitting by the phone, because he picked it up on the first ring, "Funny farm, which cage do ya want?"

Nancy couldn't help but smile, "The cage with the crazy pilot," she said warmly.

"Hey Nan, are you just gettin' home?" he asked.

"Yea, it's been one hell of the day." Nancy closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch.

"You sound tired," Murdock said, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No, I couldn't face anymore fast food today." Nancy said, "So I decided to see what I had in the fridge."

"How about I bring you something over?" he asked.

"HM, you don't have to do that . . ."

"I want to do that," he said, "It gives me an excuse to come see you."

Nancy smiled, "OK, I'll take you up on the offer.  I could use some good company anyway," she added.

I'll be over in half an hour," he said, and rang off.

When Nancy hung up the phone, she wrinkled up her nose as she noticed the smokey smell that permeated her clothes and hair, and decided to get a quick shower. As she was drying off, she heard Murdock pull in the driveway, and hurriedly pulled on a pair of sweats and a tank top, running the brush through her wet hair.  She had just started down the stairs when the doorbell rang.

She ran the last few steps, and opened the door.  Murdock had two carry out boxes - Nancy guessed that they came from the diner.

"Blanche said to tell you 'hi,'" Murdock said as he came in, confirming Nancy's suspicions, "She packaged these up herself.  Hope you like cabbage rolls." He looked Nancy up and down, thinking that her attire was really going to test his resolve to behave himself.

The smell of the food was making Nancy hungry, "Mmmm, let's go get some plates and eat!"

In the kitchen, Nancy reached up into a cupboard to get a couple plates down.  Murdock came over, "Let me help," he said, at her elbow, making her jump.

He grinned at her, "Sorry, did I scare you?"

Nancy took a steadying breath, she was starting to feel that tingling of panic that seemed to grow with proximity to Murdock, "No . . . I . . . uh . . . I can get the plates - how about you get the silverware. Over there," she pointed to the opposite side of the kitchen.

But when she looked up he was still standing there, and he smiled repentantly when he caught her eye, "Sorry, guess I got kind of side tracked - you smell really good."

Nancy laughed nervously, "You wouldn't have said that half an hour ago - I spent a good portion of the afternoon in a smokey station house,"  She gave him a gentle nudge to the other side of the kitchen. "Go get the silverware, flyboy," and he went, reluctantly.

She pulled the plates down, transferred the food to them, and took them to the kitchen table, where Murdock had laid out the silverware and sat down.

"This really smells great - much better than PB&J," Nancy said, picking up her fork.

"So, what were you doing in a station house today?" Murdock asked curiously, as they began to eat.

"When the responding officers say 'Ma'am, you're gonna have to come with me' it generally means you're going to get to spend some quality time at the local police station," she said ruefully.

"And what exactly did you do to gain the interest of the local constabulary?" Murdock asked facetiously, in his best Englishman impersonation.

Nancy tipped her head to one side, "How do you do that?"

He grinned at her, "I think you're trying to change the subject!"

She smiled guiltily, "Well, I was trying to convince an uncooperative gentleman that he should take his daughter back to her mother.  He didn't want to, and the situation sort of deteriorated from there."

Murdock looked at her uncertainly, "Maybe you should start from the beginning . . ." he suggested.

Nancy finished chewing her mouthful of food, and started "It's actually a missing child case that I've been working on for about a month . . . after talking to the client I was pretty confident that her estranged husband had taken the girl, so I put out feelers to try to find him. I had talked with all his friends, family and acquaintances, asking for information and it paid off, today.  It turned out that he has a bit of a drug problem, and when he stopped by his mother's for breakfast this morning he was high.  She didn't want to get the authorities involved," she grimaced, remembering the woman's admonishments about her son and what a 'good boy' he was, "But she also knew that she needed to get her granddaughter away from him before she got hurt - so she called me."

"Unfortunately," Nancy continued, "When I arrived, he'd binged, and was in a really pissy mood. I thought I might be able to talk him into taking his daughter back himself, but that just wasn't going to happen.'

"So you called the cops after all?" he asked.

"Actually, no," Nancy hesitated, "I was a bit preoccupied trying to keep him from shooting me, the little girl or himself.  The hotel manager called the police." 

She looked at him a smiled, "So, what did you do today?" she asked, as if she'd just told him about a trip to the market.

"Whoa - he had a gun?" Murdock was looking at her in disbelief, "was it loaded?"

Nancy nodded and swallowed before replying, "Yea, but the safety was on and I don't think in his state he could have figured out how to get it off. I had things under control by the time the police arrived, but at that point, there's no getting out of taking it to the station.  It took all afternoon to sort the mess out," she sighed, "At least the little girl is back with her mother.  That's most important.  Hopefully now the father will get some help with his habit, but I'm not holding my breath."

Murdock was just staring at her, "Do people threaten you with guns regularly?"

Nancy looked up at him, "It's not like a daily occurrence or anything but it happens periodically," she said matter-of-factly, "I can take care of myself."

Murdock just nodded and started eating again, his mood thoughtful.  They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Nancy said, "You didn't answer my question, what did you do today?"

"Spent most of the day at the airfield - Doc had several planes in for repair and maintenance - nothing even vaguely interesting, especially compared to your day," he said with a smile.

"Have you ever thought about giving lessons?" Nancy asked.

Murdock shrugged, "Have to have an instructor's license for that . . .," he said vaguely, then switched the subject back to her again, "You know, I can't believe you're so relaxed about this guy holding you at gun-point - doesn't it bother you at all?" he looked at her, his expression serious.

She looked up and their eyes locked for a few seconds before she picked up her empty plate and glass and headed towards the kitchen sink, "I wasn't relaxed about it at the time, but it's over now and nobody got hurt.  No point in stewing over it," she said flatly, "It's a hazard of the job - if we're gonna be together, then you're gonna have to get used to it." Nancy had rinsed her dishes off and started to put them in the dishwasher, stopping suddenly when she realized what she said. What did she mean 'if we're going to be together?' 

She had her back to Murdock, who had a thoughtful smile on his face at her comment and replied, "Yea, I guess I will have to get used to it," his tone conveyed his feelings, and Nancy lost her grip on the glass she was putting in the dishwasher.  It crashed to the floor and shattered on the linoleum, scattering glass shards all around her bare feet.

Murdock jumped up, "Are you OK?" Nancy nodded mutely, and he continued, "Don't move . . ."

He stepped gingerly across the kitchen, stopping at her side.  Nancy looked up at him and mumbled something about 'butter fingers'. He smiled, and before she could protest picked her up and carried her to the carpet at the doorway into the kitchen, setting her gently on her feet, "Go take a load off in the living room - I'll clean this up," when she started to protest, he interrupted her, "I said go sit down - I'll get this cleaned up and be in in a few minutes."

Nancy watched for a minute as he got the broom and started to sweep up the mess, then turned and headed to the living room.  She sat stiffly at one end of the couch, on the very edge of the cushion and stared blankly at the quiet TV.  She was still wondering what she had meant by them being together - and what had he implied by saying he would have to get used to it? Her thoughts were whirling, and she was feeling that rising surge of panic again.  She went over it several times in her head, eventually deciding that she was definitely reading more into the whole thing than was there.

Fifteen minutes later, Murdock came silently into the room. He sat on the arm of the couch next to her and started rubbing her shoulders, "You need to relax," he said soothingly, "It's all cleaned up - only casualty was a glass."

Nancy closed her eyes.  She did feel tense, and his fingers working her stiff muscles felt good.  She turned so that her back was to him, and he slid down onto the couch beside her as he continued to massage her neck. She could feel his breath stirring her hair, and it sent a shiver down her spine. She stiffened again, standing up abruptly.

She turned and looked at him, "Um . . . You should go," she said flatly.

Murdock dropped his hands to his lap, looking at her in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"HM, I'm tired, and I really do think it would be best if you left."

He stood as well, "OK," he said uncertainly, "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked tentatively.

Nancy crossed her arms across her chest and shrugged, "Maybe it would be best if we waited to see each other again until after Thanksgiving," she said haltingly.

Murdock didn't want to agree to it, but he knew he'd stepped over some line and wasn't sure how to get back, at least she hadn't said she didn't want to see him again at all, "If that's what you want, OK," he said carefully, "But at least say I can call you."

Finally, a small smile touched her lips, "Of course you can call," she said, "It's just that . . . I have a lot to do during this short week, and I don't really need any . . . distractions," she finished lamely.

Murdock gave her his most winning smile, "I'll call you tomorrow, then, and I'll try not to be _too_ distracting," he was trying to look in her eyes, but after a brief glance up at him with a small smile, she had looked back at the floor, her demeanor more than a little uncertain and shy. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading for the door. "Take care, Short Cake," he said, as he left.

Nancy put a hand absently to her cheek where he had kissed her, and thought, 'Damn, he really does scare the shit out of me.' She hadn't felt this much of an adrenalin rush when the guy had pulled the gun on her this afternoon.  She walked absently into the kitchen to finish putting the dishes in the dishwasher, but the kitchen was spotless. He had cleaned up everything, including mopping the floor.  She gently touched the daisies that he had brought her on their first date, and noticed that he had even added water to the vase. He was such a nice guy and she was wondering what the hell he wanted with her.

Murdock drove home slowly, uncertain how to handle his own feelings about Nancy.  He had fallen fast and hard, and he had thought that she felt the same.  When he got home he called Face, he needed to talk to someone about it.

He described what had happened and asked Face what he thought.

"Maybe she's frigid, Murdock." Face offered.

"No way, Facey, not after the way she kissed me last night." Murdock was hoping for a more helpful suggestion.

"Maybe you just caught her off guard," Face said. He really wasn't sure what to tell his friend, he'd never dated a woman that hadn't been more than willing to jump into bed, "Maybe she has some kind of sexual problem."

Murdock sighed, "Really, Face, everything isn't about sex." He said in exasperation. "I mean, we were having a really nice time and she was starting to relax, then all of a sudden she doesn't even want me around.  I'm getting mixed signals, and I don't know what to think. We've had a couple great days together, talking and getting to know each other.  Then suddenly, when it starts to get comfortable, she's pulling away . . ." Murdock trailed off, as a thought occurred to him.

"You know, Facey, she's acting a lot like you do when you're around Amy lately," he mused out loud.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Face asked guardedly.

"I mean," Murdock said pointedly, "That you're afraid to show Amy how much you care about her, 'cause you're afraid of what that's gonna mean."

"And just what does it mean, Murdock," Face asked testily.

"It means that you need her.  That you want to have her around.  That you want to make a commitment."

"They shouldn't have let you out of the VA, you're still delusional." Face said, almost angrily.

"See, that's exactly what I mean," Murdock continued calmly, "Every time we talk about it, you go into this big denial mode, and pretend that you don't love Amy - but I know you do, I've seen the way you look at her."

Face sat at the other end of the line, absolutely dumbfounded.  How had a conversation about Murdock's love life turned into this?  He did not _love_ Amy, sure he cared about her, she was member of the team, but that was all there was to it.

"Murdock, you're wrong."

"No I'm not, and you know it - deep down you know it.  You just need to admit it to yourself.  And you better hurry up, Facey, 'cause Ames isn't gonna wait forever." Murdock said with conviction.

"Thanks, Face." Murdock added gratefully, "Talking about it really helped."

"Anytime, Murdock." Face said uncertainly.

**Goodbye**

Nancy and Murdock spoke briefly on Tuesday night.  Nancy had gotten in late, once again, and didn't call him back until almost 10.  She was short with him on the phone, claiming fatigue.  She told him that she'd be leaving for Chicago the next afternoon, and she'd call when she returned.

After she got off the phone, she sat at the kitchen table and idly flipped through the paper, not really seeing anything.  She was hoping that a few days away from Murdock would help quiet the feelings he aroused in her every time he was near.  Unfortunately, even hearing his voice was starting to have that effect.  In her heart, she desperately wanted to see him, but her head was stubbornly refusing to give in. She gave up pretending to read the paper, and headed upstairs to bed.  She needed to get in to the office early, so she could finish up some paperwork before packing and taking off for Chicago.

The next morning was uneventful.  She finished up the reports and billing that needed to be done.  Riley came in around noon, and they discussed the holiday, and case status.  Nancy told him she'd be back sometime Sunday, and would see him bright and early Monday morning.

By 12:30 she was packed and headed to the airfield.  When she walked in, Murdock was standing at the desk, making notes in the repair log.  He looked up and a dazzling smile lit his face when he saw her, "Hey, Short Cake," he said, straightening up, "Doc said you had called.  Aunt Bea is all gassed up and ready to go."

Nancy felt like her heart was going to thud itself right out of her chest.  She smiled and managed, "Thanks, HM," with only a slight tremor in her voice.

He came around the end of the desk, walking towards her, still smiling broadly, "Missed seein' ya yesterday," he said, "Do you have to go right away?"

Nancy backed away, looking at him almost warily, "I really should get going," she said in a rush, "It's a long flight and I promised Dad I'd be home for supper." That was a flat out lie, she'd told her father she'd probably be late, and not to wait supper for her, but she had to get out of the hangar, it was starting to feel very crowded.

Murdock's smile faded and he looked at her almost sadly, and said, "Well, have a good flight.  I'll see you when you get back?" It was almost a plea.

She looked at him, and saw how much she was hurting him.  But she couldn't seem to help herself, "Sure, I'll call you . . . sometime next week." It sounded lame, even to her ears.

"Right, next week," he said quietly, the hurt showing plainly on his face.

"Well, 'bye," she said detouring around him carefully and hurrying out to the back field.

"Goodbye, Short Cake."

**Thanksgiving**

Murdock arrived at the compound early Thursday morning.  He had promised Hannibal he'd help him with dinner preparations.  Hopefully, that would help keep his mind off Nancy - certainly having some company wouldn't hurt.

When he arrived, he met BA driving down the drive, "Hey, where ya goin', big guy?" Murdock asked as they came even with each other.

"Don' tell Face, but Hannibal convinced Amy to come out for the weekend.  I'm goin' to pick her up at Dulles now."

"Amy's coming? That's terrific news!" Murdock said enthusiastically.  Amy was like a sister, and her presence always lightened the mood.

When he got in the house, he found Hannibal alone in the kitchen, stuffing the bird.  He looked out the back sliding door and saw Frankie and Face playing one on one.  He headed on into the kitchen and set about making the cranberry relish without so much as a greeting.

"How's it goin', Captain?" Hannibal asked, taking in the long face. "You're awfully quiet today."

Murdock shrugged, "Guess I'm not really in the mood to celebrate," he admitted, "Nancy left yesterday," he added offhandedly.

Hannibal looked at his pilot appraisingly, "You've got it bad, Murdock," he said, "This girl has really got you on the hook."

"I just wish she'd reel me in, 'stead of throwin' me back," Murdock said glumly, talking about it was making him feel worse.

"What's wrong?" Hannibal asked curiously, "I thought you two were getting along really well . . ."

Murdock put down the knife, and turned to face Hannibal, leaning against the counter, "Yea, I thought so, too," he said quietly, "Then Monday night I went over, and things seemed to be goin' great when all of the sudden she told me I should go . . ."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow, "That sounds kind of weird, Murdock.  Exactly what happened?"

Murdock launched into the whole story, starting with her phone call Monday night.  When he got done relating the events of Monday evening, he continued with the brief phone call on Tuesday night, then ended with her departure the previous afternoon, "I mean, it was like she was runnin' away from me, Hannibal.  I don't know what I did wrong . . ."

Hannibal was nodding in understanding, "I think I know what you're problem is, Murdock," he said, "I had the same problem when I first met Maggie."

Murdock looked up at Hannibal in surprise, "You and Maggie had problems?"

Hannibal shrugged, "Maggie had a hard time accepting her . . . feelings.  Our relationship compromised her independence, and she really resisted it, at least  at first she did."

Murdock looked at Hannibal shrewdly, he doubted that Maggie had been the only one with that problem in that particular relationship, "That actually makes a lot of sense, Colonel," he said, "but what do I do about it?"

Hannibal turned back to the turkey, "Wait her out, Murdock.  From what you said, I think she'll come around pretty quickly," he chuckled, "I'd say you're not the only one that's hooked!"

Murdock was shaking his head doubtfully, "I hope you're right, Colonel," he said. Picking up the knife, he started cutting up oranges for the cranberry relish, "I shouldn't let it ruin the holiday, anyways. After all Turkey day is one of my favorites."

"I thought they were all your favorites." Hannibal said with a chuckle.

Nancy woke up Thursday morning and looked thoughtfully around the room that she'd grown up in.  Her father had left it basically as she had always had it, and it used to make Nancy feel safe being here. Unfortunately, even being in Chicago wasn't helping her hide from her feelings for Murdock. She swung out of bed, deciding that keeping busy would be better then laying there thinking about it.  She showered and dressed and headed downstairs.

When she got down to the kitchen, her father, Carl Clay, already had the turkey out of the refrigerator and was cutting up veggies to stuff it.  She walked over and kissed him on the cheek, then poured herself a cup of coffee.

Her father looked over at her appraisingly, "So, what have you been up to over the past week or so.  I missed you last weekend.  Is Aunt Bea OK?"

"Aunt Bea is fine, she just needed a tune up," Nancy said, sipping her coffee.

"I talked to Hank at the airfield last evening," Nancy looked at her father in surprise, "He was concerned, said you didn't look too good when you landed yesterday afternoon, and that you ran out without saying hardly a word."

Her father turned and looked at her directly, "If you got in in the afternoon, where were you until 9 last night?" he asked.

Nancy had ended up getting in late the previous evening, mostly because she had driven around aimlessly after arriving, not feeling much like talking with her father.  He'd always been able to tell when she was having one of 'those' days, and she hadn't felt like answering any questions about the cause.

She sighed, there was no point in lying to him, he could see through that a mile away, "I was just driving around," she said vaguely, "I needed to think."

"The flight from Langley didn't afford you enough time for that I take it - must have been one heck of a thought process," Nancy could tell he wasn't going to let it go.

She looked down into her coffee, stalling.  Finally, her father said, "Alright, out with it.  What's bothering you?"

Nancy felt tears sting her eyes.  She took a deep and steadying breath then looked up at her father, who recognized the anxious and almost haunted look in her eyes.  "It must be pretty bad, I haven't seen you this upset since you were 8, and I told you that Ginger wasn't real." He remembered the scene vividly.  It was about four years after Ruby had been killed. Nancy had been playing with Ginger, her invisible dog, in the kitchen and had made a terrible mess, which she, of course, blamed on the dog.  He'd just returned from a very bad day at court and was furious.  He'd lost his temper and told her she needed to grow up, Ginger wasn't real, and it was time she started living in the real world again.  Not his most stellar moment as a parent.

Nancy wasn't sure where to start, "I hurt someone I . . . I've come to care about," she admitted, as much to herself, as to her father.  She'd thought about it a lot over the course of the evening yesterday.  Every time she thought about Murdock it hurt.  All she could remember was the look in his eyes.

"I don't know what came over me.  We had such a wonderful time, and then all of the sudden Monday I started feeling . . . trapped and I just started pushing him away," Nancy said miserably, "Oh, Dad, the look on HM's face yesterday afternoon when I practically ran away from him. . ." her voice trailed off.

"Who is 'HM'?" her father asked, coming over to sit by her, the turkey forgotten.

Nancy took a deep breath, "Maybe I should start from the beginning . . ." and she did.  She told her father everything, almost.  When she finished she looked at him and said candidly, "I didn't mean to hurt him, Dad, but it was like I couldn't help myself."

Her father smiled knowingly.  He remembered after her mother had been killed, Nancy's reaction to anyone who tried to get close to her, including him, had been the same.  The Therapist had explained that it was a natural reaction, and part of the PTS, but it had taken three years of therapy before she had begun to overcome those problems. This guy must have really gotten to her for her to begin reacting like this. He stood and went back to stuffing the turkey, "I think maybe my little girl is in love," he said casually.

Nancy looked at her father sharply, "I've known HM for less than a week, Dad, I think 'love' is a bit of a stretch."

"You know, I only knew your mother a month before I asked her to marry me. She resisted, too, but in the end she gave in.  Don't scoff at it, honey.  You've always known your own mind, and never taken long to make decisions. In so many ways, you're like your mother," he smiled in reminiscence, "I think in your heart, you know the truth.  What you need to do is convince that stubborn Stockwell head of yours that maybe it's not such a bad idea." 

At the compound, Murdock had turned on the Macy's parade.  Frankie and Face had come in, and all three were sitting around the TV, watching the floats and   balloons go by.  Murdock rose from his spot on the couch, "Anybody want anything to drink?"

Face and Frankie both mumbled 'no,' so Murdock turned and headed into the kitchen.  He heard tires crunching on gravel, which meant that BA was back from the airport with Amy.  So, Murdock detoured and headed out the front door.

The van pulled up and Mrs. Baracus open the passenger side door while Maggie Grant and Amy Allen came out the side door.  Murdock smiled, the Colonel had more than one surprise up his sleeve.  BA looked happier and more relaxed than he had in some time.  

Murdock grinned at Amy and gathered her into a big bear hug, "Man is it good to see you, Chaquita!" He said enthusiastically.  Amy smiled and gave him a big hug in return.  "It's good to be here," she said.  

"Hey there, HM, how 'bout a hug for an old lady?" BA's mother asked.

"I don't see any old ladies here," Murdock said, stepping forward and giving her a hug as well. Then he turned to Maggie, "Hey Mags, the Colonel sure will be glad to see you."

She came forward and gave Murdock a kiss on the cheek, squeezing his shoulders affectionately, "It's been way too long since I've seen my boys."

Murdock moved to the back of the van and helped BA unload the luggage.

"Where is Face . . . and Hannibal." Amy asked.

Murdock smiled, "I don't think they realize you're here - they're inside."

They moved up the steps together and Amy held the door open so the others could pass inside.

Hannibal heard the front door, and walked out of the kitchen and towards the noise.  He also caught Amy in a big hug, "It's great to see ya kiddo," He said warmly.

"Hi Hannibal - thanks for inviting me," Amy said, returning the hug. 

Maggie moved up beside him and his arm fell naturally around her shoulders, "Hey, babe, it's great to see you!"  They kissed briefly, then Hannibal turned to Mrs. Baracus, "Was BA surprised to see you?"

BA's mother was beaming, "Scooter just about turned himself inside out," she said, "Thank you for sendin' Maggie to get me.  I really wanted to see my Scooter for the holidays."

Face had heard the voices and his head popped up over the back of the couch like a jack in the box, "Amy?" He said, and jumped up, heading towards the gathering in the hall, "What are you doing here?"

Amy made a face at him, "It's nice to see you, too, Face," she said sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it that way, it's just . . . well, I thought you'd be with your folks for Thanksgiving," Face explained.

"I get to see Mom and Dad and Angela and her family all the time," Amy said, "But I really miss you guys.  Life seems awful boring without you around." 

By now, Frankie had moved into the hall, and Hannibal indicated him, "Amy, Maggie, Mrs. Baracus, I'd like you to meet Frankie Santana.  Frankie, this is Amy Allen, Maggie Grant, and Mrs. Baracus."

Frankie shook hands with each in turn but wore his most charming smile for Amy, "It's a real pleasure to meet you Amy.  I've heard so much about you.  But none of the guys mentioned how beautiful you are," he leaned over her hand and kissed it.

Face looked like he wanted to pound Frankie, "That's enough," Face said testily, "Amy's a team member and off limits."

Murdock looked at his friend, and a fiendish smile lit his face, "I don't think that's  true, Facey, 'member, when Ames went to Jakarta, she gave up her official team-member status."  Face looked at Murdock sharply as Frankie took Amy's arm and escorted her into the living room.  Murdock just smiled and shrugged, tagging along behind carrying luggage.

Frankie laid it on thick, and Murdock was beginning to wonder if Hannibal hadn't coached him.  Face was turning red, and looked absolutely priceless.  After about half an hour, he stood up and literally slammed out of the house.  Hannibal caught Murdock's eye, and Murdock nodded and followed Face out on the back deck.

"So, Face, what seems to be the problem?" Murdock asked casually.

"You know damn well what the problem is," Face said angrily.

"I think maybe you're jealous," Murdock said.

"_No_," Face said forcefully, "I just don't think that Frankie should be hitting on Amy, she's a member of the team!"

"Not anymore, Face . . . that excuse doesn't hold water," Murdock said evenly.

"Well, Frankie doesn't have any business drooling after her like that," Face sputtered, "It's . . . it's just embarrassing."

"Embarrassing for whom?" Murdock asked directly, "Frankie, who's just paying attention to a beautiful woman, or you, who's being a total idiot."

Face just glared at Murdock and remained stubbornly silent.

"Alright, Face, listen," Murdock said calmly, "I'm gonna do you a big favor . . .  I'm gonna go inside and send Amy out to talk to you.  I think you should do _yourself_ a favor and tell her how you feel." With that, Murdock turned on his heel and headed back inside.

True to his word, Murdock sent a rather confused Amy out to the deck a few minutes later, and before she could say anything, Face said, "Listen, Amy, I don't know what Murdock told you, but he doesn't know what he's talking about . . ."

"Face," Amy interrupted, looking puzzled, "I don't know what _you're_ talking about. Murdock just said that you wanted to talk to me." 

Face looked at her, and allowed himself to really just look.  Murdock was right, he did feel more for her than he cared to admit. What if she didn't feel the same?  'Well,' Face thought, 'As Father Magill would say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

He took a deep breath, looking at her feet, "Amy, I . . . ," he looked up into her eyes and continued, just as uncertainly, "I don't know how to say this . . . but, I was thinking that maybe you, well . . . you and I . . . you know, maybe we could . . ." his voice faded.

"Face, you're an idiot when it comes to women," Amy said flatly

Face searched her face, the line of her mouth was grim but there was a light in her eyes.  He gave her a winning smile, "But I'm a cute idiot." 

Amy looked at him severely and his expression sobered, "I know I don't have a great track record, Amy, but I'm willing to try to change . . . for you . . . Scout's honor," he held up his hand in the Boy Scout salute.

Amy moved forward and put her hand over his, "You were never a Boy Scout, Face," she said, but she moved closer, "I have some major reservations about this."

"Join the club," Face said, pulling her into a warm embrace, "but I can't stand the thought of you with somebody else."

Amy looked at him very seriously, "Face, I'm willing to give this a try, I really care about you, but promise me one thing . . ."

"Anything."

Amy looked down, as if trying to decide how to put it into words, then looked up at him, her expression very serious, "If you decide that you've made a mistake, please be honest enough to just tell me and end it.  Can you give me that much respect?"

Face cupped her face in his hands, "Amy, I respect you very much.  I think that's probably what's held me back all these years.  But now, I'm ready to make a commitment . . . to you.  I would never cheat on you."

Amy smiled at him, "I'm going to hold you to that, and Face," she grabbed his shirt collar in both hands, "If I ever catch you with another woman, I'm gonna have BA break you in two."

"Sounds like a deal too good to pass up," Face said, before kissing her thoroughly.

Inside, Murdock was watching the pair with keen interest.  Hannibal came over, and said, "Captain, don't you think you should give them some privacy."

"I would, Colonel, if I wasn't worried that Face was gonna chicken out . . . again." But when he looked back out the window, it was obvious that Face had finally given in.  Murdock smiled and moved back into the living room to watch the rest of the parade.

Nancy and her father picked up Hannah Gaylord, the woman who had been housekeeper and friend all the time Nancy was growing up.  Hannah lived in an assisted living home now, since she needed constant supervision to ensure that her diabetes remained in check.  When they arrived back at the house, they finished the trimmings for the turkey dinner, laughing and reminiscing about old times.

At 2:30, Hunt Stockwell arrived and swept into the house.  He apologized for his tardiness, but explained that it was unavoidable.  He greeted his brother-in-law formally, then stopped in front of Nancy, who smiled warmly and welcomed him with a kiss on the cheek. He squeezed her shoulder and said, "It is so good to see you again Nancy. It's been far too long."

"Well, you _could_ stop by sometime when you're in Langley," Nancy said with a slight smile.

Dinner was already on the table, and so they all sat down, said grace, and then started to eat.

"So, Nancy, are you still working for that Riley character," Her uncle asked.

"Yes, Uncle, I still work for Adam's Investigations," Nancy said, trying to keep the annoyance out of her tone. Nancy knew her uncle well enough to know that he knew damn well where she was working.  He might not stop by, but he had enough connections in the Langley area to keep that much of an eye on her without necessarily visiting.

"You know, I heard that the FBI was hiring again," he said conversationally, "Agent Fiore said that there's still a spot for you, if you want it." Agent Fiore had been one of Nancy's instructors when she went to the Academy.

Nancy grimaced, "Do you have to start this so early in the dinner," she asked, "I've told you a dozen times, I have no desire to work for the government."

Hunt Stockwell looked at his niece appraisingly and said bluntly, "You are wasting your talents at Adam's Investigations."

"Maybe I want to waste my talents."

"You have so much promise, so much potential. At least talk to Agent Fiore, maybe you'll change your mind."

"I _have not_, and _will not_ change my mind."

"Why must you be so stubborn about this.  There is so much you could learn at the FBI. Have you considered your future at all?"

"Riley is going to make me a partner."

"Partner in a dead-end business."

"Just drop it, Uncle, I refuse to debate my career with you, yet again." Nancy said, "I've made my choices, MY CHOICES. Now let it be. I'd like to have one dinner as a family where I didn't feel like I was under constant fire from you." Her frustration was showing plainly on her face.

Her uncle's expression was inscrutable, as usual, and he didn't reply, but he did stop badgering her.  The remainder of the meal was eaten in relative silence, with some innocuous conversation about the weather and current events.

After dinner, Nancy and her father cleared the dishes and cleaned up while Hunt took Hannah into the living room.  Nancy and Carl joined them a short time later.

They sat around the living room and had after dinner drinks, chatting idly.  Carl Clay watched with interest as his daughter rose from the chair and prowled the room once again.  That was the third time in the last half hour that she'd made that same circuit.  Her agitation was plain to see, and he had a feeling he knew what the source was.  She hadn't admitted it, but he felt certain he was right about this HM person she was seeing.  She hadn't known him long, but she had fallen hard, and now was having trouble dealing with her feelings. The best thing would be for her to go and see him.

Carl stood and looked at Nancy, "Sweet heart, would you come help me in the kitchen for a moment?" he asked.

Nancy looked at him curiously, but said, "Sure, Dad."

When they got to the kitchen, her father looked at her and said, "Go on, get outta here.  You've been pacing like a caged cat.  You need to go take care of this thing with HM."

Relief warred with anxiety on her face, "Dad, I can't just leave . . ."

"Sure you can. Besides, you don't really want to spend the rest of the evening with a bunch of old fogies like your Uncle, Hannah and me.  I'll give your apologies to our guests."

"Dad, I don't know what to say to him," she said apprehensively.

"You'll think of something - the point is that you need to face up to the situation.  You hurt someone, and you should make it right."

Nancy looked down, "You're right," she said nodding.

"Of course I am," her father said smiling.  He gave her a quick hug and a push towards the door.

"You're sure you don't mind . . ."

"GO!"

Nancy arrived at the airfield about 8pm and quickly tied down and hurried into the hangar.  Doc came out of his apartment, a surprised look on his face.

"Doc, I need to know where HM is," Nancy said, knowing that he was having dinner with his friends.

Doc pursed his lips and said peevishly, "What do you want to see him for?"

Nancy gave Doc a stricken look, "How bad was it?"

"He moped around here until almost 11 last night - I don't know what you said to him, but he definitely wasn't himself," Doc was looking at her severely.

Nancy leaned forward earnestly, "Doc, come on, I need to see him.  I know I screwed up yesterday, I want to apologize."

Doc relented, and gave her a small smile, "I'm glad to hear you've come to your senses, he's a good guy." He pulled a pen and paper out and wrote down the address with some basic directions.

Murdock had gone for a long walk, back to the pond behind the compound. He was happy for Amy and Face, they seemed to be easing into their new relationship without any problem.  But sitting in the house with them, and Hannibal and Maggie, was driving him to distraction.  He was resisting a very strong urge to hop on the next commercial flight to Chicago and hunt Nancy down.

He threw stones into the water and watched the ripples spread across the water surface.  He shoved his hands in his pockets and thought about Nancy - if he closed his eyes he could see her face, smell her hair.  He didn't want to lose her, and more than anything he was worried that Hannibal was wrong and she was just going to run away from him, for good.  

What was he going to do if she didn't call when she returned from Chicago? He was still contemplating this question when Face walked up, "Hey, Murdock, you OK? You disappeared and we wondered where you'd wandered off to."

"I'm alright, just needed some fresh air - walk off all the turkey and trimmin's," Murdock replied with a slight smile.

Face looked at his friend in concern, "Hannibal said Nancy was being . . . stubborn. Is that what you're stewing about?"

Murdock sighed miserably, "What am I gonna do, Face? I love her . . . Hannibal says she'll come around, but what if she doesn't?"

Face put a comforting arm around Murdock's shoulders, "Hannibal can read people and situations better than anyone I know, Murdock - if he says she'll come around, she will.  You just gotta have faith."

Murdock nodded, and smiled weakly at Face, "Thanks, Face," he said quietly.

Face rubbed his arms, "Come on Murdock, let's go back inside - it's getting cold out here."

"Go on in, Face - I'll be back in a little bit," Murdock said smiling, "I'm too wound to sit in the house right now."

Nancy arrived at the compound and pulled up behind a black van, which was parked behind Murdock's truck.  She felt a surge of relief, followed quickly by the first tingling of panic, that he was still here. She got out of the car and stood on the front porch indecisively, trying to decide what she was going to say to him when she saw him.

Hannibal heard the car pull up outside.  They certainly weren't expecting any visitors, so he had a good idea who it was.  He leaned over to Maggie, "I would bet that that is a certain young woman come to see our forlorn Captain - maybe you should go let her in." 

Maggie smiled.  Hannibal had filled her in on what was going on with Murdock and this Nancy Clay, and she had to agree with his assessment.  She gave him a kiss on the cheek and headed to the front door.

Nancy turned as the door opened and a dark-haired woman whom Nancy had never seen before stepped out onto the porch and smiled at her, "Hello, you must be Nancy."

"Do I know you?" she asked warily, she hadn't been expecting anyone, especially a woman, to come out and greet her, particularly before she rang the doorbell.

Maggie stepped forward, "No, we haven't met but I've heard quite a bit about you . . .," she said, smiling and holding out a hand, "I'm Maggie."

Nancy smiled cautiously, "It's nice to meet you, Maggie," she said, shaking the offered hand, and appreciating the firm grip.

She looked down and asked hesitantly, "How's HM?"

Maggie cocked her head to the side, considering the young woman seriously, "Quiet," she said honestly, "he talked to Hannibal some this morning, but he hasn't mentioned it since. You can always tell when something's bothering him - he just clams up -_ Very unlike him_."

Nancy turned and leaned on the railing. Obviously she had hurt Murdock badly. What could she ever say to make that up? She gazed out at the driveway, thinking how easy it would be to just drive away.

Maggie leaned on the railing next to her, "I know exactly what you're thinking," she said quietly, "And trust me, it would be easy now, but it would hurt tomorrow.  You need to go talk to HM and work this out."

Nancy was looking at Maggie in surprise, and Maggie gave her a sympathetic smile, continuing, "It's never easy to admit you need someone - but once you do, I think you'll find that the compromise is well worth the rewards. HM is a good man, and he cares very deeply about you.  You need to set aside that stubborn independence and admit, _to yourself and to him_, how you feel."

Nancy smiled shyly, "It sounds like you're talking from experience," she said, then admitted uncertainly, "I . . . I really care about HM - it kinda scares the shit out of me."

Maggie chuckled, "Been there, done that," she said ruefully, "Trust me, once you get past this, it's mostly good.  I'm not going to say that life will be perfect, but at least you'll have someone to share the good _and bad_ with."

Nancy stood up, "Thank you, Maggie," she said sincerely, then looked towards the house, "Is HM inside?"

"No," Maggie said and smiled at the disappointed look that crossed the younger woman's face, "He walked out back awhile ago, I think you'll find him somewhere between the back deck and the pond.  You can't miss the trail that leads back there."

Nancy turned and opened the door, to find Hannibal standing there. He handed her a flashlight, "Here, you may need this, it's getting pretty dark out there."

Hannibal allowed her to pass inside and indicated the back sliding door, "straight through there and down the steps, the trail's straight back, just watch your step."

Nancy smiled gratefully, "Thanks, Hannibal."

Murdock was at the back of the yard when he heard the sliding door open and close.  He looked up to find Nancy walking purposely across the back deck.

She caught sight of him as he stepped into the light near the base of the steps, "Hi," she said with a tentative smile.

"Hi," Murdock said, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

She moved across the patio and down the steps fiddling nervously with the flashlight in her hands.  She stopped a couple feet in front of him and looked up, "I . . . wanted to apologize for how I behaved yesterday . . . and Tuesday . . . and Monday . . .," she smiled self-deprecatingly, "basically, I've been a real jerk all week and I'm _really_ sorry," she looked up at him trying to gauge his reaction.

"OK," he said, his gaze soft.

Nancy wasn't sure what she had expected, but she didn't feel like she'd said enough, "I didn't mean to hurt you, HM . . . it's the last thing I'd want to do, if I was thinking clearly, which obviously hasn't been my strong point this week . . . truth is, I'm not too sure what to do about this whole thing . . ." she stumbled to a stop

"What thing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She began haltingly, "You know . . . this _thing_ . . . between us . . . I've never felt this way about anyone, and I just . . . I didn't know what to do . . . I thought maybe by getting away from you I could make it go away . . ." she sighed heavily, "You know, you really scare the hell out of me."

"You take down a crazed idiot waving a gun in your face and _I_ scare you?" he asked, his expression amused.

"Yea . . .," Nancy smiled self-consciously and looking at his feet, twisting the flashlight in her hands.

Murdock watched her for a moment, then asked, "So, did it work?"

She looked up at him in confusion, "Did what work?"

Murdock shrugged, "Getting away, did it make the feelings go away?"

Nancy looked at him, and felt her heart lurch and leap at the same time, "No . . ." she said thoughtfully, then smiled, "Honestly, you still scare the shit out of me . . . but I was miserable being away from you."

He smiled, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad to hear that . . . I'd hate for this to be a one-way street."

"Does that mean you forgive me?" she asked tentatively.

"Nothing to forgive," he said, smiling at her affectionately, "I'm just glad you're here. I was starting to think I might hafta fly to Chicago and hunt you down."

"Guess I beat you to the punch," she said with a smile, then looked at him seriously, "There's just one more thing, HM, if I start acting like a jerk again . . ."

"Don't worry Short Cake, I'll let you know."

Nancy chuckled, "Somehow I knew I could count on you."

He put a finger under her chin, and looked at her very seriously, "Just don't forget that, huh?"

A breeze whipped up at that moment and Nancy shivered, she had run out without her jacket and it was chilly. Murdock stopped and put his hands on her bare arms, "You're frozen," he said, turning her purposely towards the house, "we should get back inside."

He steered her up the steps with a hand at the small of her back, "Did you meet everyone?" he asked as they moved towards the back door.

"Not everyone," she said apologetically, "I kinda ran through after Hannibal and Maggie let me in. I didn't want to take a chance on losing my nerve."

"I'm glad you didn't."

They went in the back door, and everyone in the room fell silent.  Murdock grinned, "I know some of you have met Nancy, but I thought it might be nice to give a refresher before the final test . . ." he went around the room and introduced everyone, starting with Amy and ending with Mrs. Baracus.

Nancy smiled nervously, she was a little uncertain of their reception given her recent treatment of Murdock, but Maggie and Hannibal had been very helpful and she was hopeful that the rest of them would follow suit. Amy and Face sat up on the couch and made room for Nancy, and Murdock pulled a chair from the dining room and sat down next to her.

Hannibal broke the silence, "So, Nancy, how's Aunt Bea? She must have gotten quite a work out.  You just flew to Chicago yesterday, didn't you?"

Nancy nodded, "Yea, that's a bit of a trip to make twice in 24 hours, but I have a good mechanic," she smiled at Murdock, "Aunt Bea held up just fine."

Maggie chuckled, "I never thought I'd see the day HM would spend more time on the ground than in the air at an airfield."

Murdock grimaced, "I really would prefer flying the planes to working on them - I'd rather leave the grease-monkey work to big ugly mud-suckers," his dark eyes glittered mischievously as he looked over at BA.

Nancy looked at Murdock in surprise, then turned her attention to BA with concern as he started growling at the pilot, "If Doc know what's good for him, he find a real mechanic and stop lettin' a crazy fool work on his airplanes."

Amy saw Nancy's reaction, and put a hand on her arm to get her attention.  She leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Don't sweat it - this is just how Murdock and BA are - you'll get used to it."

Meanwhile, Murdock was goading BA further, "At least I'm not _afraid_ to get on an airplane . . . I mean who'd believe a big, muscle-bound he-man would be afraid of a little old airplane."

"Only plane I won't get on is one you're flyin', fool," BA retorted.

"Not true - 'member that time we were working on the landing gear of that commercial flight, and it started takin' off - I wasn't flyin' that plane, but you still froze up like the Antarctic."

"That different . . ." BA started.

But Hannibal broke in, "As entertaining as it always is when you two are arguing - I think I've heard enough.  Though you have to admit, BA - you did freeze up pretty good that time."

"You guys are always knockin' me out and puttin' me on a plane with the crazy man - why you think I hate to fly!" BA said angrily.

Amy chuckled, "Come on, BA - you know it's the best way to travel.  Murdock's a great pilot.  It's just that the aircraft he gets to work with aren't always top of the line."

"Yea," Murdock agreed, "It's not my fault Face is always scammin' substandard equipment."

"Hey," Face said in surprise, "How did this turn into my problem?"

Amy looked at him with a small smile, "Well, Face, you have been known to clip more than one plane off the rental repair line."

"That was Murdock that did that, not me!" Face protested.

Murdock crossed his arms, "Where do ya think I learned it?"

Face looked at him sullenly, "Not from me, you didn't."

Murdock grinned at his friend, "Come on Facey, don't be so modest.  Everything I know about scammin' I learned from you."

"Ain't much," BA said scornfully, "We always better off when Face doin' the scammin' 'stead of Murdock."

Hannibal laughed, "I think we're all better off when we each stick to our own area of expertise . . . it's just that sometimes the situation requires flexibility."

There were three, knowing snorts around the room, and BA was the one who voiced what they were all thinking, "Hannibal, wi' you we always gotta be flexible."

Hannibal looked at Face, Murdock and BA in turn, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Face took up the explanation, "Hannibal your plans never work the way they're supposed to . . ."

And Murdock finished hastily, "Right Hannibal - they never work right - they just _work_."

Nancy was listening to the conversation with interest, realizing that there was obviously more to this group than met the eye. Still she couldn't figure out why they looked so familiar, and her curiosity was peaked.

The evening continued in much the same vein for the next two hours.  They took particular pleasure in sharing various crazy stories about Murdock. By the end of the evening, Nancy was getting a good feel for the dynamics of the group, and she was thoroughly enjoying herself.  There was no doubt that these people cared about each other, though their way of showing it was far different from what she was used to with her little family unit.

Around ten Nancy and Murdock headed out.  Maggie told them to be back the next morning for breakfast at 10am.  They exited to a chorus of goodbyes, and walked down the front steps together. Murdock walked Nancy to her car. 

He leaned against the car hood with his hands in his pockets, "Want me to pick you up around 9:30 tomorrow morning?"

"Sure," Nancy said as she pulled the car door open.

"OK, then, I'll see you in the morning," he said, turning to walk to the truck.

Nancy rested her arms across the top of the door, "I don't get a kiss goodnight?" she asked curiously, her eyes reflecting doubt, "You haven't touched me all evening . . . I'm beginning to wonder if you really forgive me . . ."

Murdock stopped and turned to look at her thoughtfully, "I told you, Nan, there's nothing to forgive," he said firmly, "Guess I'm just a little hesitant to do anything that might make you run away - I don't want that to happen again." 

Nancy nodded in understanding, disappointment apparent on her face.  He took a step towards her, saying quietly, "I _would_ _like_ to give you a kiss . . . if you aren't going to bolt on me."

She looked up at him and smiled warmly, "I'm not going anywhere . . . and I think I'd be very disappointed if you didn't . . ."

He walked up to the other side of the open door as Nancy straightened up. He put a hand up behind her neck and bent to kiss her. She closed her eyes in anticipation, but opened them when he stopped short and asked her once more, "You're _sure_ about this, right?"

He looked into her eyes seriously, and Nancy smiled and nodded, "Positive."

He closed the distance, cradling her head in both hands and Nancy braced her hands against his shoulders.  They kissed, lightly at first, but becoming more urgent. After a minute Murdock pulled back and looked at her with a rueful smile, "The door is kinda in the way . . ."

Nancy took a deep breath, trying to still her hammering heart.  She ran her hands up his arms until she covered his hands with hers and smiled up at him reassuringly, "Yes, but maybe that's a good thing . . ." she squeezed his hands affectionately as she pulled away, "I think we need to take this one step at a time, HM. I'll see you in the morning?"

He put her hands to his lips, then let her go, shoving his hands into his pockets.  He smiled at her tenderly as he stepped back from the car, "Good night, Short Cake . . . sweet dreams."

Nancy smiled and said, "Goodnight," as she got in the car.  She was going to have very sweet dreams tonight.

**The Next Step**

For the next two days, Nancy and Murdock spent most of their time at the compound, just hanging out with Murdock's surrogate family.  Nancy found herself warmly accepted by the group, and truly enjoyed their company.  Friday evening, when Murdock walked her to her door, gave her a kiss, and said goodnight Nancy let him go.  But Saturday night, she suggested he come in.

He looked into the apartment, shaking his head uncertainly, "Last time I came in didn't end so well, guess I'm still a little gun shy."

Nancy took his arm and pulled him through the door, "I promise I won't get weird on you . . . and if I do, just tell me."

She closed the door behind him, then asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"

Murdock shrugged, "Sure, I'll take some ice tea."

When she came back from the kitchen, he had moved into the living room and was standing by the piano, running a finger over the strings of the guitar sitting on it, "Do you play guitar, too?" he asked curiously.

"Yea," Nancy said, handing him his glass and setting hers down on the end table, "It was part of my therapy, the music was supposed to help allay my anxiety.  'Bout drove my dad nuts, he'd wake up to piano or guitar at all hours of the night!"

"Allay your anxiety, huh," Murdock said musingly, "I'll have to remember that." 

He sat down on the edge of the piano bench, "In fact, I'd love to hear you play a song right now," he suggested, looking at her hopefully.

She shrugged and walked over, sitting down on the piano bench next to him.  She ran her ringers over a scale absently, trying to decide what to play.  A sudden smile lit her face, and she looked at him, "I remember, our first date, there was this song that kept running through my mind - it's called 'Fire'."

She began playing and sang:

_Like a crumbling tower you fall to pieces_

_And mend the cracks on the surface_

_And hope to God nobody notices_

_The best of you fell in the creases_

_But I still get closer 'cause I don't fear the heat rising off your_

_Army of troubled angels shooting fire_

_And I'm not blinded by your compliments_

_Though you I do appreciate_

_I want to be the star of your revolution_

_And the biggest mistake you make_

_What doesn't kill you can make you look dumb and defenseless and_

_Though it might make you better it starts with holes that you fence in and_

_I'm not a fair weather friend, but maybe that's what you're used to_

_Being so idealistic_

_Can make reality unkind_

_But it's what's wrong with you that makes what's right so vivid_

_And in the end you'll find_

_That I still get closer cause I don't fear the heat and I don't blame you_

_It's just your troubled angels shooting fire _

_They're shooting fire._

Nancy smiled as she finished, "Perhaps it would be more appropriate if you were singing to me instead of the other way around," she said ruefully.

He smiled, "I don't know about that . . . I think we probably both have an army of angels.  It's just that recently yours has been a little more active than mine."

He reached up and brushed her cheek with a hand, and their eyes met and held.  He leaned in and kissed her lightly, pulling back and looking for acceptance.  Nancy smile at him and closed the distance between them herself.  

When they parted a few minutes later, Nancy caught her breath and looked at him with shining eyes, "I love you, HM," she said quietly.

He looked a bit surprised, but smiled happily at the admission, "I love you, too, Short Cake."


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

****

**No Turning Back**

Nancy woke the next morning, and smiled at the warm brown eyes that greeted her, "Good morning, Short Cake, have a good rest?" He ran a finger along her jaw line and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

Nancy sighed contentedly, she felt more relaxed than she had for several days. 

"I feel great," she said, then added teasingly, "maybe it's the exercise!" 

"You know, exercise first thing in the morning is s'posed to really help get the blood pumpin'!" Murdock said suggestively, leaning down and nuzzling her neck.

Awhile later, Nancy swung out of bed and headed for the shower.  Murdock wandered in a few minutes later, "Can I help?" he offered.

"NO," Nancy said, laughing, "I don't think I need your kind of help!"

"Could be fun . . ." he said hopefully, sticking his head in the shower and whistling appreciatively.

Nancy splashed water at him, "Honestly, HM, you're getting a little greedy," she said good-naturedly "Besides, we need to get over to the compound and we're already late." She turned the water off and reached out for the towel.

As she stepped out of the tub Murdock caught her in a bear hug, wet towel and all, "I could definitely get used to this," he said playfully.

After a brief kiss, she wiggled out of his embrace and pushed him towards the shower, "You need to get ready to go," she admonished.

Reluctantly, Murdock let her go and got into the shower.

Half an hour later they were both dressed and in the truck.  Murdock stopped briefly by his apartment to grab a clean t-shirt then they headed to the compound for breakfast.

When they walked in, breakfast was in full swing, and Maggie greeted them, "You're late - better fill up your plates before everything is gone."

They sat down and joined the rest of the crew eating pancakes and sausage. Conversation was sporadic until the food was gone. Then Hannibal called for attention, "I know Frank's been feeling kinda lonely this weekend, so I thought maybe we'd give him his Christmas present early," Hannibal held out an envelope to Frankie, "Go on, kid, open it."

Frankie opened the envelope, which contained a round trip ticket to LA.  Hannibal was grinning broadly, "It's from all of us.  It's good for two weeks. I'll leave it up to you when you use it, but the General said it's gotta be before the first of the year.

Frankie grinned happily, "Thanks, guys," he said sincerely, "I'm gonna call my family and see what works with their schedules. Man, I can't wait to smell that lovely LA smog!" Frankie jumped up from the table, going around and shaking each of the guys hands in turn, and heading straight to the telephone to make arrangements with his family for going home.

"Well," Hannibal said, "Maggie and I made breakfast - who's cleanin' it up?"

Nancy and Amy both stood, and grinned at each other, "Nan and I'll do it," Amy offered. 

Nancy looked at Murdock and Face, who were sitting between them, trying to be invisible, "You two can help by clearing the table for us," she suggested, compellingly.

Nancy and Amy picked up their plates and glasses and headed into the kitchen to get the dishes started.

Face and Murdock stood up reluctantly.  Murdock grimaced, "Drafted, again."

Face shook his head as he started stacking dirty dishes to take into the kitchen, "You weren't _drafted_ the first time - you signed up," he said coolly, "No different this time."

"How do you figure that?" Murdock asked.

"This," Face said, indicating the stack of dishes, "is what happens when you start seeing a woman seriously - and I'll take this opportunity to remind you that it _was_ your idea."

Maggie looked at both of them severely, "It's good for you," she admonished, "You two need to be kept in line."

"Get the lead out," Amy called from in the kitchen. Murdock and Face looked at each other, and quickly began gathering dishes to ferry into the kitchen.

Amy shook her head, "I've seen those two move faster than greased lightning, but heaven forbid they should do it when they're s'posed to be cleaning up!"

Nancy chuckled, "I guess it all depends on the motivation."

Amy nodded in agreement, as she started drying dishes, "True, certainly bullets or MPs at your back are a great motivator . . . maybe I could get Decker to run herd on 'em. I heard he's retired . . ."

"What's this about Decker?" Face asked dropping a load of dishes on the counter by Nancy.

"Who's Decker?" Nancy asked curiously.

Murdock came in with fingers full of dirty glasses, "An old army buddy of the Colonel's," he said, "Colonel Decker and Hannibal never quite saw eye to eye - especially after the war was over."

"Doesn't help when you're not on the same side of the fence," Face said, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter.

"You were on the same side of the fence most of the time," Amy corrected, "the problem was, Decker was always trying to get you guys on the other side, _permanently_."

"Never managed it, though," Face said smugly.

"Not for lack of trying," Murdock said, "and lucky for you guys that Amy and I managed to get your butts out of trouble when Decker did get the upper hand."

"That's the truth," Amy said triumphantly, "Murdock and I pulled some pretty good scams on Decker!"

Murdock looked at Nancy, who was quietly washing dishes and listening to the conversation.  He walked over and put his arms around her waist, putting his head down and kissing her cheek, "Whatcha thinking, Short Cake?" he asked quietly.

Nancy smiled and shrugged, "That there's a lot I don't know about you."

He smiled affectionately at her, "That goes both ways," he said, kissing her cheek again, "we've got the rest of our lives to learn, though."

Nancy smiled and they kissed lightly, then she gave him a nudge towards the dining room, "Go get the rest of the dishes."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a mock salute, "Come on, Facey, we've got a mission."

Amy turned back to drying dishes as Face and Murdock headed back out of the kitchen, "You and Murdock seemed to have reached a new stage of your relationship," she said leadingly.

Nancy chuckled, "Well, he spent the night last night, so I guess you could say that," she said bluntly, "I'm still surprised he wanted to see me after the way I treated him last week."

"I think anything short of shooting him, he'd have been waiting for you when you came back," Amy said smiling, "He's really crazy about you . . . No pun intended."

Face and Murdock came in with another load of dishes and miscellaneous stuff for the refrigerator.  As Murdock set the dishes on the counter by Nancy, he reported formally, "That's the last of 'em, ma'am."

Nancy dropped another batch of dishes into the water and started washing again, "Thank you, Captain," she said smiling.

Murdock put his arms around her waist again, started nuzzling her neck, "You're hindering more than you're helping now, Captain," Nancy said giggling and trying to wiggle out of his grip.

Amy was having a similar struggle with Face, and pointed forcefully at the door, "Alright, you two out of here and let us finish the dishes."

"Don't you want some help?" Face asked, a devilish grin on his face.

"As I told HM this morning, I don't think that we need that kind of help right now," Nancy said laughing, and pushing Murdock towards the kitchen door.

Face shrugged, "Suit yourselves," he said, "come on, Murdock, we can tell when we're not wanted." Murdock turned and followed Face reluctantly.

Amy sighed, "They're great guys, just a little over-enthusiastic at times."

Nancy nodded in agreement and the two women set to work.

A few minutes later, Nancy broke the companionable silence, "How long have you known them?" she asked curiously.

Amy shrugged, "'Bout 10 years," she said, "When I first met them it was just a few years after the war was over. I was a struggling investigative reporter who'd lost her mentor, and thought she'd be smart and hire the A-Team, you know kill two birds with one stone . . . find my mentor and get a great story in the process. Little did I know what I was getting into . . ."

Amy looked at Nancy, who had stopped washing and was looking at Amy, in disbelief.  Realization dawned on her, "You didn't know they were the A-Team, did you?" she asked.

Nancy shook her head, "I knew they looked familiar," she said quietly, "I even said something to HM about it early on . . . He told me BA just had one of those faces . . ." she finished lamely.

Amy chuckled, "I guess Murdock hadn't gotten around to telling you."

Nancy turned back and started washing dishes again, "No, I guess not." she agreed quietly.

"Well, trust me," Amy said firmly, "Once the A-Team enters your life, you're never quite the same."

Nancy and Amy finished the dishes, with Amy relating the story of how she met the Team.  Nancy listened with interest; trying to come to terms with the fact that she was dating the A-Team's pilot . . . it certainly explained a lot of things.  

After finishing the dishes, they went outside and found Murdock and Face sitting on the back deck lounging and enjoying the sunny morning.

Nancy dropped into the chair next to Murdock, still looking a little shocked.  Amy sat down next to Face and looked at Murdock, "You really should have told Nan about the Team, Murdock," she said severely.

Murdock looked at Amy, then turned to Nancy repentantly, "I meant to tell you . . . It just hasn't come up . . . recently. I had to check with Hannibal, make sure it was alright . . ."

Nancy interrupted him, "It's OK," she said, smiling, "just came as a bit of a surprise.  I would have recognized them eventually . . . I think."

"You aren't mad, are you Nan?" Murdock asked worriedly.

"No, I'm not mad," she said, "I just feel kinda stupid I didn't recognize them sooner. What are you doing in Langley, anyways?"

Hannibal and Maggie had come up from the back yard, "What's up?" Hannibal asked, seeing the serious faces.

Amy ignored Hannibal's question, and nodded, "That's an excellent question, Nan.  Face hasn't given me a straight answer about that yet.  What are you guys doing in Langley?"

"I'll answer that," Hannibal said, to the relief of his junior officers, "We are working on securing our pardons."

Nancy looked at Hannibal discerningly, "Who are you working for - CIA?"

Hannibal looked at Murdock, who shrugged, "No, we don't work for the CIA," Hannibal held up a hand as Nancy started to ask another question, "I think it's best if you don't know anything more.  We'll have our pardons in a few months, and it will all be behind us.  I don't see any point in involving you ladies."

Maggie was standing with her arms crossed, "I don't really understand why we can't know what's going on . . ." she said, obviously continuing a conversation that she and Hannibal had already had.

Hannibal looked at Maggie pointedly, "We've been over this Maggie - I think it's best if you stay out of it."

"I have to agree with Hannibal on that," Murdock said, "It's better all around if you aren't involved . . ."

Face was agreeing, and finished his friend's thought, ". . . in any way, shape, or form.""

"But maybe we can help . . ." Amy said.

"No," Face said flatly, "Like Hannibal said, it'll be over in a few months, just let it alone."

Murdock was looking at Nancy, who had been quiet, but had a thoughtful look on her face, "Nan, please promise not to nose around about this," he said beseechingly.

Nancy looked at him and shrugged non-committally.  Murdock turned to her, his look very serious, "Nancy, promise me!"

The others were watching the exchange with interest. Having known Nancy for only a few days, they weren't sure how she would react. It was obvious she was feeling a bit stubborn about the whole thing. Nancy and Murdock locked eyes for a full minute, before she finally capitulated, "OK, if that's what you want."

Murdock sat back, relief obvious on his face.  He had a feeling that if Nancy set her mind to it, she could get herself into quite a bit of trouble trying to find out about the General.  He nodded in satisfaction, "That's what I want - I really don't want you exposed to this guy.  And if you started nosing around about him, there's no telling how he'd react."

Nancy looked over at Amy with a small smile and a shrug.  Face caught the look and turned to Amy, "I saw that," he said, looking at her through narrowed eyes, "I want you to promise to leave it alone, too . . . Promise!"

Amy sat back, defeated, "Fine," she said flatly.

Hannibal looked at Maggie, "And you?"

Maggie shrugged, "I'll stay out of it, if you really want me to, John. But it doesn't mean that I agree."

Nancy sighed, "I just don't understand what all the mystery is about . . ." she said sullenly.

Frankie had come out at the tail end of the conversation, "They're just trying to protect you," he said with a knowing look, "This guy is really unscrupulous when it comes to getting what he wants.  He certainly doesn't need any more ammunition against the Team - and that's exactly what you ladies would be."

"Exactly," Hannibal said, looking at Maggie, Amy, and Nancy in turn, "Now the discussion is over, and you're going to stay out of it."

The three women nodded, and dropped the subject.  They visited for a while, until Amy stood and said she needed to pack.  Her flight left that afternoon for LA, and she was going to have to head out to the airport soon.

Nancy and Murdock decided to take a walk back to the pond, and headed down the path, hand in hand. Hannibal and Maggie were left sitting on the back deck alone.  Hannibal was puffing thoughtfully on his cigar, "You know, Maggie, I think maybe Face and Murdock are gonna be OK."

Maggie smiled, as Murdock and Nancy disappeared from view, "I take it you had some doubts."

Hannibal nodded, he definitely had.  Face had seemed incapable of making a commitment to anything other than the Team. It had been fine when he was younger, but he was getting to an age where he really needed to think about settling down.  He knew Face had always dreamed of the proverbial white picket fence, and he could begin pursuing that dream with Amy once they had their pardons. She'd known Face long enough to know what she was getting into, and she loved him anyway.  Not to mention that she had the gumption to keep him in line.

Murdock had always been a wild card.  He'd never really talked to Hannibal about having a family, but the way he was with kids, Hannibal could imagine him with a whole house full . . . and what a fun house it would be!  But Murdock was a bit of a quandary, and Hannibal had been thinking that maybe he'd never find a woman who could understand him.  He didn't know Nancy very well, but he liked her instinctively, and she and Murdock seemed to be right for each other. He had a good feeling that it was going to work out for them.

Out loud he said quietly, "Ever since 'Nam I've had doubts. But I think life is finally turning around for us . . . all of us."

As they entered the path to the pond, Murdock pulled Nancy closer and put an arm around her shoulders, "It's nice to be alone for a little while . . . I mean I like hangin' out with the Team, but I think we need some time to ourselves," he looked at her repentantly, "I really meant to tell you about the whole A-Team thing, but there really hasn't been a chance."

"It's alright," she said, giving him a squeeze around the waist, "It actually kind of clears up a lot of things that had me curious. Like why you spent 10 years _living_ at the VA . . . why you moved to Langley . . . and why you hang out with this bunch of guys that looked so damn familiar."

"So, what's the deal for your pardons?" she ventured, curiosity evident in her tone.

"A set roster of missions in return for the pardons," he said, "The only hang up at the time was that the guys were on trial for the murder of Morrison."

"Your . . . benefactor didn't help them out of that?" Nancy asked in surprise.

"Oh, he helped," Murdock said bitterly, "as little as possible.  He didn't want to be implicated if things went sour.  Frankie and I handled the implementation of the escape plan, but the General provided some of the necessary materials."

By now they had reached the clearing by the pond, and Nancy stepped in front of Murdock and looked up into troubled brown eyes, "It doesn't sound like you and 'the General' get along very well." 

He shrugged, and bent to pick up a stone and skip it across the pond, "The General and I have a rather long history . . . and most of it isn't good," he said ruefully, "I'm grateful to him for helping me save the guys, and I'll be grateful when he secures the pardons, but he and I really don't get along."

Nancy had picked up a stone and was turning it idly in her hand, "Kind of like making a pact with the devil, huh?"

"Yea, kinda," he said with a chuckle, "but I don't think he's on the other side of the fence from us morally, he's just a hard ass that holds a grudge."

She looked at Murdock in surprise, she'd never heard him swear before, "My virgin ears!" she said mockingly.

"Virgin, baloney," he said, laughing, "You swear like a sailor."

"No I don't," Nancy said, feigning offense, "I swear like Riley . . . and I'm pretty sure he was never a sailor."

Murdock smiled, shaking his head, "I gotta meet Riley."

"Eventually . . ." she said with a smile, "I gotta coach him first, there are some things that I _don't_ want him telling you . . . at least not right away!"

He looked her, his eyes dancing, "Like what kinds of thing?"

Nancy shook her head, "I'm not telling you . . ." she said stubbornly.

"Well, then, maybe I'll just have to . . . tickle it out of you!"

He grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her down to the ground, both of them laughing.  It had been chilly that morning, with heavy dew, though the weather had warmed up as the sun rose. The grass around the pond was kept mowed and was beginning to dry out, but it was still definitely damp.

Nancy landed on top of Murdock laughing, "You're gonna be all wet."

He shrugged, "I'll dry," he said, laying back and pulling her into his arms. She snuggled down into the crook of his arm, making a face as her hip hit the damp ground, "We're definitely going to have to change into dry clothes," she said, wiggling closer to him, "It's a good thing it warmed up today."

He put an arm behind his head and looked down at her, smiling, "What's wrong, you made o' sugar - gonna melt?"

She leaned up on his chest, "I don't think anyone has ever accused me of being made of 'sugar and spice and everything nice'," she said with a smile.

She leaned down and kissed him briefly, and he pushed her hair out of her face, "I think you're pretty nice," he said smiling affectionately, "But you know too much sugar is bad for your teeth, so I wouldn't wantcha too sweet."

She laid back down, and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm sun and the feel of Murdock's arms around her.

"This is so relaxing," Nancy said dreamily, a while later, "I've always wanted to live in a big old farmhouse, with a pond out back . . . maybe a couple great big dogs . . ."

Murdock stroked her hair, "What about a husband and kids?"

She opened her eyes, looking thoughtfully up at the sky, "That would be nice."

"How many kids do you want?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged, "I haven't ever really thought much about it," she said, then smiled, "Definitely more than one. I wouldn't want to have an only child, they tend to be kinda bratty - and I should know."

She leaned up on his chest again, "How about you - you want kids?"

"Yea, lots," he said, smiling broadly, "at least nine or ten."

Nancy raised her eyebrows, "Nine or ten," she repeated incredulously, "That's quite a few."

He chuckled at her expression, "The actual number is negotiable," he said reassuringly, "But definitely more than one."

Her expression turned serious, "You don't have to change your mind for me," she said uncertainly.

"You're worth changing my mind for, Short Cake," he said warmly, pulling her down and kissing her lingeringly. 

Awhile later, he caught site of his watch, "Jeez, we better head back to the house - Ames is gonna be leaving soon."

They made it back to the house just in time to say goodbye to Amy before Face took her to the airport.

She shook hands with Frankie, "It was nice to meet you, Frankie . . . maybe I'll see you at Christmas?"

Frankie smiled, looked at Face, and leaned in to give Amy a light kiss on the cheek, "I'll be here," he said certainly, "I'm heading to LA myself early next week, so I guess I'll be back for Christmas."

Amy turned to Nancy and gave her a warm embrace, "It's been great getting to know you, Nan," she said smiling, "You take good care of the crazy man, OK?"

"I will," Nancy said, smiling, "See you soon."

Amy gave Hannibal a big hug next, "See you in a couple weeks for Christmas."

"Have a safe trip, kiddo," Hannibal said.

Maggie hugged her like she wasn't going to let go, "You take care of yourself, Amy," she said sternly.

Amy smiled, "I will, and Maggie - keep Face outta trouble while I'm away," she entreated.

Maggie nodded, patting Amy's cheek affectionately.

She hugged BA and squeezed his mother's hand, "You two take care of each other."

Finally she turned to Murdock, who picked her up off her feet in a bear hug, "Take care, Chaquita."

Amy smiled, and whispered in his ear, "I'm so happy for you, Murdock - you two are right for each other."

He grinned, "Yea, you too," he said as he set her on her feet.

"Come on - you're gonna miss your flight if we don't get moving," Face said irritably.

Murdock looked at Face curiously, then smiled sympathetically at Amy, "He's just gonna get crankier the closer you get to gone," he said, "Good luck."

Amy nodded, and squeezed his arm before turning to Face, "OK, I'm ready to go."

Everyone waved as Face and Amy disappeared down the drive. Murdock turned to Nancy, "Whatcha say, Short Cake," he said, "Wanna go see how Aunt Bea is doin'?"

She grinned at him, raising an eyebrow, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were dating me just to get to my airplane."

Hannibal laughed, "That _was_ the first thing he noticed . . ."

Nancy and Murdock grabbed a quick lunch at the Compound then spent the afternoon at the airfield.  They took Aunt Bea up for an hour or so, then pulled her into the hangar to give her a once over before tying her down. Then Murdock started piddling with one of the planes staged in the hangar for repair, and soon they were working companionably, side by side.

They stopped at the grocery store on the way to Nancy's and picked up fixings for dinner.  After eating, they sat and listened to music and talked until midnight. Looking at the clock ruefully, Murdock stood, "Guess I should get going," he said reluctantly, "We've both gotta go to work in the morning."

Nancy stood and moved into his arms.  They kissed and held each other tightly both reluctant to end the evening. Finally, she looked up at him, "You know, you don't have to go . . ."

He looked at her carefully, "Before you know it, I'll have a toothbrush in your bathroom," he said, "That's not gonna freak you out, is it?"

She smiled and shook her head, "I'll even give you one tonight that you can keep here."

He smiled, "This could definitely become a habit."

"I hope so," she said contentedly.

**Meeting Dad**

Nancy and Murdock fell quickly into a routine during the next week.  Nancy would call him when she got home, and he'd come over.  He didn't spend a night at his own place all week. They kept to themselves, getting to know each other and both growing more sure in their relationship. The next Saturday, they made the trip to Chicago, so Murdock could meet her father. 

They arrived at Carl Clay's home in time for supper.  He had been expecting them and already had dinner ready.  After they had taken their bags up to Nancy's room, they all sat down at the table.  

Carl was obviously very curious about the man who had won his daughter over so quickly, "So, HM, Nancy tells me that you work at the airfield for Doc," he said.

Murdock nodded, "Yep, I've been working for Doc for a few weeks, handling all his plane repairs."

"Where did you work before that?" Carl asked, in what Nancy referred to as his 'lawyer' tone. 

Nancy looked at her father sharply, but Murdock replied unperturbed, "Here and there . . . mostly food service . . . I have another obligation that crops up periodically and takes me out of town.  Makes it difficult to hold down a regular job."

"Dad, stop with the cross-examination," Nancy said quietly, looking at her father pointedly.

"Sorry," he apologized, "It's a habit . . . Nancy says you have some friends living in Langley?"

"Guys from my unit in 'Nam," Murdock said.

"What were their names again, they sounded familiar," Carl said curiously.

"Hannibal Smith, BA Baracus, Templeton Peck, and Frankie Santana," Nancy said, watching her father with interest.  She wondered if it would take him as long to figure it out as it had her.

But Murdock didn't wait, "I was the pilot for the A-Team," he said frankly.

Carl looked at Murdock in surprise, "The A-Team?" he said incredulously, "I had heard a rumor that they escaped execution, but I figured it was just wishful thinking.  What are you doing in Langley?"

Murdock sighed, looking at Nancy, who looked purposely down at her plate, avoiding his gaze, "We're working on securing the Team's pardons," he said, "But as I've told Nancy, I really can't say too much about it."

Carl nodded in understanding, "Yes, I'd imagine your benefactor is in a rather delicate negotiating position - trying to keep the army happy while securing your pardons isn't going to be an easy task.  Especially after you've made fools of the Military Police for so long."

"Yea, it probably is going to be a hard thing to swing," he agreed reflectively, then continued, "I really don't want anything to jeopardize the pardons.  We've waited too long for them."

"But, you'll have the pardons soon," Nancy interjected, "Hannibal said hopefully by March or April."

"Hopefully . . . depends on the schedule.  The General seems to like to save the _best _missions for us," he said sarcastically.

Carl caught the inflection, "I take it your relationship with this General isn't exactly warm and friendly," he said with interest.

"I think everyone involved will be happy when the obligation is fulfilled," Murdock said simply, "We're definitely not bosom buddies."

"So," Carl said, "Once your obligation is fulfilled, what do you plan to do?"

"I'm enjoying working at the airfield . . . I hope Doc'll take me on as a regular employee," he looked at Nancy with a warm smile, "I definitely plan on sticking around Langley."

"I'll hire you if Doc won't," she said, returning the smile, "I don't want you to have any reason _to leave_ Langley."

"Pilot for the A-Team," Carl said reflectively, "bet you have some interesting stories . . ."

Murdock grinned broadly, and started regaling them with his favorites.

 After dinner they headed into the living room to relax. Murdock sat on the couch, stretching his long legs out, while Nancy kicked off her shoes and curled up next to him. Carl served drinks and then sat down as well, watching the pair with interest. 

He had taken an instant liking to this man, who had an infectious smile and a quiet intelligence that he seemed to try to hide with his sometimes off-the-wall behavior. It certainly weighed heavily in Murdock's favor that Carl had never seen his daughter as happy or relaxed as she seemed to be in his presence.

"So, Carl," Murdock said mischievously, "Got any good stories to tell me about Nancy? I think it's time to even the balance here - the guys have already filled her in on most of my antics over the years."

Nancy shook her head, "I don't believe they've even scratched the surface," she said laughing, "I have a feeling it's going to take _years_ before I hear _all_ the stories!"

Carl grinned, "Well, there was this one time in high school when she found out that the star of the football team was popping amphetamines and she turned him into the local police."

Nancy grimaced, "It was for his own good . . ."

"Yes . . .," Carl agreed, "but boy did you pay for it.  She took the blame for every loss the football team had that year . . . and they lost a lot!"

"There was also the time when she decided she was going to dig up some dirt on the principal, because he kept giving her a hard time . . ." Carl started.

"He was always picking on me, giving me detentions for nothing, and treating me like a truant - it was really annoying," she said in explanation.

"Anyways, she found out that he was having an affair with one of the single mothers and told him to end it or she was going to tell his wife," Carl shook his head, "I don't think that's the only thing she made him promise, either.  He called me in and told me that I needed to teach my daughter to mind her own business."

Nancy shrugged, "At least he left me alone after that.  Besides, Dad, didn't you tell him that he needed to set a better example for the youth of the community."

Carl nodded, "Yes, I did," he said, "But you were still grounded for a month for blackmailing your principal."

"It was worth it," she said matter-of-factly.

"Course, she wasn't always in the right," Carl continued, smiling at his daughter, "like that time you thought the cheer leading squad was going to play an April Fool's joke at the old folks home, when it turned out they were just volunteering there for the day, as part of their community service."

Nancy pursed her lips, "Who'd have thought the Annie Kale had any interest in volunteering anywhere . . . turned out her grandma lived there.  Jeez, did I feel stupid."

Murdock was laughing, "Sounds like you were born a snoop," he said teasingly, "You sound almost like a female Encyclopedia Brown."

Carl nodded agreement, "You could say she was the conscience of the school . . . nobody crossed her too much, because nobody wanted her snooping into their lives."

"Probably explains why I didn't have many friends," Nancy said ruefully.

Carl looked at his daughter sympathetically, "I shouldn't have allowed you to move ahead two grades, you were a little immature for high school when you started. You caught up eventually."

She shrugged, "I wouldn't go back to high school on a bet," she said honestly, "college was fun though."

"That's definitely when you came into your own," Carl said, "You and Trixie were like two peas in a pod."

Nancy sat up at the mention of Trixie's name, "Speaking of whom," she said ashamedly, "I'm going to get in big trouble if I don't call and arrange for dinner so you can meet her and Joe. She's been asking to meet you since before our first date."

Carl raised an eyebrow, "You haven't met Trixie and Joe, yet, huh?" he asked, and when Murdock shook his head, he said conspiratorially, "She's the one you want to pump for juicy stories about Nancy. They're probably much more interesting than anything I have!"

**Christmas Preparations**

The next three weeks leading up to Christmas passed quickly. Nancy and Riley had wrapped up several cases, but more had come in, and Riley was seriously considering hiring another operative after the first of the year.  Murdock was buried at the airfield, with everyone wanting to get their planes serviced and in good operating conditions before the shop shut down for the Christmas week.  

They spent most of their time on the weekends at the compound.  Maggie and Mama B were staying at least until after the New Year.  With Amy gone, Face was in a bad mood and Murdock spent a lot of his free time trying to cheer him up.  Nancy helped Maggie and Mama B with cookies and other Christmas preparations.  She really enjoyed being in the company of older women, it was something that she had missed growing up without a mother.

The kitchen at the compound was like a mini food factory.  After breakfast, they would clean up all the breakfast dishes and then set to work.  Nancy learned a lot about cooking.  Her father had never spent much time in a kitchen, Hannah had always handled meal preparations, and usually everything was ready for her dad to put on the table when they arrived home.  She appreciated the culinary lessons, and Mama B and Maggie were more than willing teachers.

"You're going to have to learn how to cook in large quantities with HM around," Maggie said with a chuckle, "I've never seen anyone that could put food away like that man."

"He even outstrips Scooter," Mama B said fondly, "and that takes some doin', my Scooter has always been a healthy eater."

Nancy smiled, "Well, HM is a pretty good cook himself.  I haven't had to make dinner in some time."

Maggie looked at the young woman, "How long have you two known each other now?"

"Three weeks," Nancy said, "Seems like a lot longer, though."

"You know, John worries about those boys terribly," Maggie said musingly, "but I think Face and HM have found themselves a couple of young women that can take care of them."

Nancy laughed, "I think you may have that backwards in mine and HM's case!"

"Don't let him fool you," Maggie said, "John said that HM was getting down.  The General hasn't made things easy for him."

Nancy sighed, "He won't talk to me about any of it . . . it's about killing me to keep that promise."

"They're right, though," Mama B agreed, "Scooter said the man workin' this deal is pretty harsh. I think it's pr'y best if you girls are kept at arms length from the whole thing.  They'll have their pardons soon 'nough."

"That's true. From what John's told me, which isn't a whole lot," Maggie said, "If they only have two missions to go, they should be done within a few months."

Mama B nodded, "But BA said that the General is interested in signing them on long term."

"John said that will only happen if he keeps up his end of the bargain and they _all_ agree to it," Maggie shook her head, "Part of the hang-up is going to be the animosity between HM and this General, but I really think John would like to figure out a way to continue the arrangement. He can't let go of the jazz, and no civilian job is going to provide that."

Nancy sighed, "And is it going to continue to be a big secret?" she asked in frustration.

"I don't know for sure, Nancy," Maggie said soothingly, "but I think that if it's possible, they'll let us in on what's going on . . . at least I hope so."

**Shopping**

Nancy called Trixie and invited her out Christmas shopping the Saturday before Christmas.  Murdock was working to finish up the last couple planes before the holidays, and she needed to figure out what she was going to get him for Christmas.

Trixie picked her up in the mini van and they headed for the nearest shopping center.

"So, bring me up to date - you are still seeing the pilot regularly, aren't you?"

Nancy grinned, "Yes, I'd say I'm seeing him _very_ regularly." She filled her friend in on the basic events of the past few weeks.

"Sounds serious," Trixie said, "And you haven't even brought him over for dinner yet," she looked at Nancy severely.

"Sorry, Trix, I meant to, I really did.  But, it's been a crazy couple weeks, and there just hasn't been time." Nancy said apologetically, "You tell me when, and we'll be there." she promised.

"How about tomorrow?"

Nancy laughed, "Boy you are anxious, aren't you?  OK, tomorrow.  But right now I need help figuring out what to get HM for Christmas!"

They chatted continuously while they wandered around the mall.  Nancy didn't find anything that jumped out her.  Towards the end of the afternoon, they stopped by a 'Things Remembered' so Trixie could get a first Christmas ornament engraved for Emma.  While there, Nancy pulled her house key out and decided to get a copy made for Murdock.

Trixie raised an eyebrow, "Just how much time is HM spending at your place?" she asked.

Nancy reddened, "Quite a bit," she admitted, "Seems kind of silly for him to keep his apartment, to be honest."

Trixie grinned at her friend, "Sounds like the kind of Christmas gift any guy would be thrilled to receive," she said winking, "You should just wrap up the key and ask him to move in."

Meanwhile, Murdock was finishing up on the last plane on the maintenance roster.  He had called Face and asked him to meet him at the airfield.  Face had been pretty despondent since Amy had left, and Murdock hoped that some Christmas shopping would shake his friend out of his funk.

He was just cleaning up when Face arrived, "Hey Facey, I really need help finding something for Nan for Christmas," he said beseechingly. 

"No problem, Murdock," Face agreed, "I need to find something for Amy, too."

"When is she coming back?" Murdock asked. 

"Couple days before Christmas," Face said, "But then she'll have to leave again," he added, "This living on opposite sides of the continent is for the birds."

"So, make a permanent commitment," Murdock suggested, "She has to have a pretty darn good reason to give up her career and move out to Langley."

Face looked at Murdock uncertainly, "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Come on, Face," Murdock pressed, "You've been mopin' around ever since Ames left. If you need her around, then admit it and get on with life."

"I have not been 'moping around' since Amy left," Face protested.

Murdock clapped him on the back, "You really need to get over this commitment psychosis, Face.  It's not healthy," he said grinning.

Murdock stripped out of his coveralls, and finished cleaning up, then they headed out.  Face asked Murdock if he had any idea what he was looking for, "I was thinking, maybe a ring," Murdock ventured.

"Like an _engagement_ ring," Face asked, surprised.

"Not exactly, well . . . maybe.  Do you think it's a bad idea?" Murdock looked uncertainly at his friend.

"Well, it's awful quick," Face said, "You've only been dating for a few weeks."

"You're probably right," Murdock said with a sigh, "it's too soon."

"You could buy her a necklace," Face suggested.

"Naw, I've never seen her wear a necklace.  She wears her college class ring all the time though, that's why I thought a ring would be nice."

"Well, if you've got your heart set on a ring, I know a good jeweler in DC. Maybe you could just call it a . . . promise ring."

When they arrived in DC, Face found a parking garage near the jeweler, and they headed in.

Face greeted the sales lady behind the counter with his usual charm, "Hello, my friend here is interested in finding a ring for his girlfriend."

The young woman smiled and turned to Murdock, "Are you looking for a diamond engagement ring?" She asked suggestively.

"Actually, I was thinking of something with a blue stone - to match her eyes," Murdock said, smiling reflectively, "She's got eyes the color of the sky."

"Murdock, that's just plain corny," Face said with a grimace.

"I think it's sweet," the sales lady said, laughing when Murdock stuck his tongue out at Face, "Come right over here, I think I might have just what you're looking for."  

Murdock followed her to a nearby case and his eyes widened at the selection, "How do I know what to pick?"

"Does your girlfriend wear a lot of jewelry?" she asked.  When Murdock shook his head, she glanced down and pulled the key ring off her wrist.  She took out a tray of unpretentious but pretty rings and Murdock smiled appreciatively, "These look like something Nan would wear."

The sales lady selected three that she said were particularly nice settings and set them in a velvet display for him to consider.  Murdock looked at them for a few minutes, then said, "I hate to bother you, but could you put them on, I want to see what they look like on a finger."

She grinned, and obliged. After she'd tried each on in turn, Murdock pointed to the middle one and asked her to put it back on, "That's the one," he said with certainty.

Face interjected himself, "Let me take a look at that." He pulled out a jewelers eye piece, and looked carefully at the ring.  He asked about the price and haggled with the sales lady for a few moments, before settling on a fair amount.  Murdock just stood back, shaking his head. Face always had known the finer things in life better than most orphan boys.

While the sales lady was finalizing the paperwork for the sale, Face wandered on down the cases, idly looking at what was available.

After Face had moved away, Murdock leaned in to the sales lady and said, "You know, he's looking for an engagement ring, even though he doesn't realize it," he said, winking at her.

She smiled conspiratorially and motioned to another sales person to come over and asked her to finish up the sale.  She moved on down and started a sales pitch to Face and Murdock watched with a self-satisfied grin.

Face ended up purchasing a traditional diamond engagement ring, but swore he wasn't going to give it to Amy until after they had their pardons in hand.  Murdock let it go, at least he'd bought the ring . . . it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Face dropped Murdock back at the airfield at his truck.  Murdock stopped at the grocery store on the way to Nancy's and picked up the fixings for a nice supper.  He beat Nancy back to her townhouse and found it locked.  He was glad Nancy had introduced him to her neighbors.  They watched her place when she was out of town, and he knew they had a key.  He knocked at their door, and they let him in to Nancy's place without question.

Trixie followed Nancy into her townhouse, carrying Emma, and took a deep breath, "Smells like you've got supper waiting for you," she said, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

Nancy had turned to look at her friend as she was talking, and had her back to the kitchen when Murdock came walking out and caught her in a bear hug from behind. Nancy turned in his arms, and they kissed affectionately.

Trixie was grinning when Nancy turned to her, "HM, this is Trixie Martin, Trix, this is HM Murdock."

Murdock smiled and held out his hand, "Nice to finally meet you," he said, his smile turning mischievous, "I hear you've got some great stories about Nan."

Trixie returned the grin, "I sure do," she said conspiratorially, "I'll fill you in on all the best stories tomorrow night when you come over for dinner."

Murdock turned his attention to Emma, who had wrapped a tiny fist around his finger, "Hey there, beautiful, how are you?"

Trixie held her out, "Would you like to hold her?" 

He took Emma without hesitation and started talking to her, "Come on, sweetie, let's go check on the s'ghetti," and he disappeared into the kitchen chattering at the baby happily.

Nancy watched them disappear, then turned to find Trixie with her arms crossed and a satisfied smile on her face, "Oh, he's definitely a keeper, Nan," she said with certainty.

Nancy smiled, she couldn't have agreed more.

Nancy and Murdock both enjoyed themselves at dinner the next evening.  Trixie's husband, Joe Martin, was a Vietnam veteran, as well, and he and Murdock hit it off right away.  He had served two tours of duty just before the end of the war, and the two men had seen a lot of the same territory while in country.

Joe was now a homicide detective in Langley. He had met Nancy and Trixie not long after they had moved to Langley a little over 7 years before. At the time Nancy was attending Quantico and Trixie was working on her PhD in criminology. He and Trixie had tied the knot in LasVegas after a whirlwind two-month courtship, and had been happily married ever since.

After dinner Nancy helped Trixie clean up while Murdock and Joe took Emma down to the recreation room to visit. Joe laid Emma on the floor under a little kick gym and motioned Murdock to a seat.

Murdock ignored the chair, and sat cross-legged on the floor next to Emma, playing with her, a big grin on his face.  Joe smiled as he sat down, "You really like kids, don't you?"

"Love 'em," Murdock said, "They have such a great handle on the important things in life.  They really are my role models!"

Joe chuckled, "They do definitely give you a different perspective on what's important," he looked at his daughter lovingly, "She's sure made me rethink my priorities.  Somehow that career thing just doesn't seem nearly as important any more."

Emma had hold of Murdock thumb and pinky on one hand, and was cooing happily. He sat back and looked at Joe thoughtfully, "How many kids you and Trixie planning on?" he asked curiously.

Joe shrugged, "Two or three," he said, "probably depends on whether the next one is a boy or girl."

Murdock nodded, "I told Nan I wanted 9 or 10," he said with a chuckle, "I think it shocked her a little bit."

Joe laughed outright, "Honestly, I've never been able to picture Nancy as a mother," he said, "but then I never thought I'd see her as a wife either," he was looking at Murdock with interest.

Murdock smiled, "Well, I guess I should take it one step at a time," he said ruefully, "But I've waited a long time to meet someone like Nan."

"Well, I'm glad you came around," Joe said, "I really couldn't sit through another one of Trixie's blind date set ups.  Talk about painful . . . and I do mean for everyone involved! There were times when I was sure it was going to end their friendship. Not to mention getting me ostracized from the police force."

Murdock grinned, "Well, if I have anything to say about it, that won't be a problem any more."

In the kitchen, Trixie was loading dishes into the dishwasher while Nancy cleared the table, and put things away.  When Nancy had brought the last of the dishes off the dining room table, she started packaging up the left over food and putting it in the refrigerator.

Trixie finished loading the dishwasher, then turned and put an arm around her friend, squeezing impulsively, "Nan, he's great," she said enthusiastically, "I was beginning to think you'd never meet anyone that could handle you."

Nancy pursed her lips together and said, "I told you before, I don't need anyone to _handle_ me," but then she smiled, "He is pretty great, isn't he?"

Trixie nodded, then waved dismissively at the remaining mess in the kitchen, "Just leave the rest of it - let's go visit," she smiled wickedly at her friend, "I believe I promised HM some juicy stories about you . . ."

"Not _too_ juicy," Nancy said worriedly as the two friends headed down to the rec room.

When Trixie and Nancy walked in, Joe had just finished relating one of the funnier blind date stories, and he and Murdock were laughing, but stopped abruptly as the women entered.

Nancy looked at Murdock, sitting on the floor playing absently with Emma, and had to smile.  But she looked at Joe through narrowed eyes as she sat down on the floor next to Murdock, "What's so funny?" she asked suspiciously.

Joe looked at Murdock, and they grinned at each other.  Joe turned to Nancy innocently, "Nothing much, we were just discussing one of Trixie's less successful set ups."

Trixie sat on the arm of Joe's chair and grimaced, "Which one would that be," she said ruefully, "None of them was really _successful_."

Joe chuckled, "No, but you have to admit that some of the evening wrap ups were more amusing than others."

Nancy looked very uncomfortable with the subject, "I always hated it when you set me up, Trix," she said quietly, "You just couldn't let it be."

Trixie smiled apologetically, "I know, Nan," she said, "I just couldn't seem to help myself."  

Murdock had put an arm around Nancy's shoulders and squeezed reassuringly, "I'm sure Trixie had the best of intentions . . . she was just a little misguided in the execution."

"Misguided is what I'd call Joe's involvement," Nancy said teasingly, "Trixie, on the other hand, was totally off course."

"Hey," Trixie said in mock offense, "I wasn't totally off course - just somewhat out to sea . . ."

"Like I said," Nancy looked at her tolerantly and smiled.

Emma started to fuss, and Nancy leaned across Murdock's lap, cooing at the little girl soothingly.  Emma started crying more urgently and Murdock patted Nancy's back.  She sat back and Murdock picked Emma up, and settling her in the crook of his arm, began bouncing her lightly.  She quickly calmed down.

Nancy offered a finger to Emma, who wrapped a tiny fist around it and proceeded to coo and blow bubbles at Nancy animatedly.  Nancy smiled and looked at Murdock, "I think you're spoiling her."

"I think you're both spoiling her," Trixie said, chuckling, "She knows when she's the center of attention."

Soon, nothing was making Emma happy, and Trixie took her, "She's getting hungry and tired," she said, "I'll get her to bed and be back in a few minutes."

When Trixie got back from settling Emma in bed, they decided to play some cards, and spent the next couple hours visiting and playing pinochle. Around 11, Emma started fussing again, and Nancy and Murdock took that as a cue that it was time to leave.

As they were pulling out of the driveway, Joe turned to his wife after a final wave and put an arm around her waist, guiding her back into the house, "Looks like I'm gonna have to dust off my old suit . . . hope it still fits," he said ruefully.

Trixie's brow furrowed, "Why do you need to get out your suit?" she asked curiously.

Joe grinned, "You always make me wear my suit to weddings . . ."

 "Oh, _that_," she said, nodding and smiling broadly, "definitely."

Two days before Christmas, Nancy talked to her father. As was her Uncle's habit, he was planning to come in Christmas eve and spend a few days with them. Nancy hung up and turned to Murdock, who was cooking breakfast.

"So how are we going to work Christmas?" she asked.

"Well, I thought maybe we'd spend Christmas Eve with the Team, then we can head to Chicago first thing Christmas morning," Murdock offered, "If that sounds OK to you."

"Sounds like a plan," Nancy said, she dropped her chin into her hand, "By the way, I should warn you that my uncle will be there. He's not a bad guy but he's got a tendency to be a little . . . well . . . critical."

"Critical?"

Nancy sat up, and sighed "Well, basically, I haven't made a good decision in my life, and my guess would be that he will think you are the _latest_ in a long line of mistakes.  I don't want you to take it personally."

"Great," Murdock said, bringing two plates with eggs, sausage and toast to the table, "I can't wait to meet him."

Nancy picked up her fork, picking at the eggs reflectively, "He means well," she said, feeling a need to explain, "He just doesn't understand that I'm not motivated by the same things that he is.  It's kind of an ongoing problem.  I just want you to understand that it doesn't have anything to do with you . . ."

"Don't worry about it, Short Cake," he said, smiling at her warmly, "I'll just have to figure out how to win him over with my charm."

She grimaced, "Don't bother," she said flatly, "Nothing short of becoming President would win my uncle over - it's a pointless endeavor."

"We'll get through it," Murdock said certainly, "He can't be any worse than some of the other people I've had to deal with over the years."

Nancy sighed, she certainly hoped not.  She decided to change the subject, they'd deal with her uncle when the time came.  Right now she wanted to get into the Christmas spirit, "Maybe we should go ahead and get some Christmas decorations out . . ." she suggested.

"That's a terrific idea - we could go pick out a live Christmas tree today!" Murdock said enthusiastically.

Nancy looked at him in surprise, she'd never done much more than put lights around the window and hang an evergreen wreath, "I don't really have the decorations for a tree," she said uncertainly.

"So, we'll buy some," he said, "Can't have Christmas without a Christmas tree.  There's plenty of room in the living room for it - we can even get a pretty big one."

Nancy smiled at his enthusiasm, "OK, but you're gonna have to lead the way," she said, "we only ever put up a little artificial tree when I was a kid, so I know nothing about live trees."

"No problemo," he said, "Let's finish breakfast and head out . . ."

First they headed to the department store and got a tree stand and a bunch of ornaments, garland, and tinsel. These they dropped at the townhouse before heading to one of the open lots that had been taken up by one of the tree vendors.  They wandered around the lot for half an hour, looking at trees. 

Murdock unerringly went for the tallest trees in the lot, and Nancy kept trying to convince him to select something that would fit through the door, "HM, how are we ever going to get it in the door and stood up if it's that big?" she asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

He grinned like a little kid, "They can wrap it for us, it won't be any trouble getting it in the house."

Nancy smiled, "That may be, but it's at least two feet too tall to stand up in the living room!"

He looked to the top of the tree, which towered above him by quite a bit, and nodded in capitulation, "Yea, you're probably right," he said, disappointment apparent on his face.

"Come on," she said encouragingly, "Let's look at these over here, they aren't quite as tall but they're nice and fat."

They finally agreed on a nice white pine that was about 7 feet tall and probably almost 6 feet in diameter at the base when all the branches were spread out.  They had the tree wrapped and headed home.

They had gotten the tree into the stand, but it was tipping precariously to one side, "Now what," Nancy asked, looking at Murdock with raised eyebrows.

"Now we straighten it," he said matter-of-factly.  He took off his ball cap and put it on her head, kissing her nose, "I'll work on adjusting the set screws, and you tell me which way to move it to get it straight."

They were still working on getting the tree straight when the doorbell rang.

Nancy left Murdock lying under the tree, and answered the door, "Hi," she said warmly upon seeing Amy and Face, "Come on in."

Murdock grinned up at them as they came in, "Hey guys," he said happily, then looked at Nancy, "Is it straight yet?"

Nancy stood back and tilted her head to the side, "It looks OK from this angle, Amy, Face?"

Amy considered the tree, "I honestly don't know how you can tell, it's like a big evergreen ball.  I don't think I've ever seen a tree as wide as it is tall."

Murdock sat up from under the tree, "Guess that means it's good enough," he said.  Nancy took his hands and pulled him to his feet, sighing exaggeratedly, "Thank goodness - we've only been working at this for the last hour."

Murdock reached for his hat, and Nancy ducked, "Nu-uh," she said, teasingly, "get your own hat."

"That _is_ my hat," he said sullenly.

She grinned at him playfully, "You gave it to me . . ."

"To hold while I was under the tree . . ."

Nancy pouted, but her blue eyes sparkled with mischief, "And here I thought you were giving me an early Christmas present."

Murdock snatched his hat off her head and put it on his own.  He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into a bear hug, "I'll give you an early Christmas present," he said suggestively.

Face cleared his throat, and Murdock turned guiltily to their guests, "Sorry, it's this woman, she tends to distract me."

Nancy took his hat back and put it on her head backwards, "You're just easily distracted . . ."

Amy laughed, "That's the truth!"

Murdock grinned self- deprecatingly, "Yea, I guess I am," he admitted, then seemed to realize that Amy was there, "Hey, did you just get back into town, Ames?"

Amy smiled, "Yea, last night," she said, "I managed to bump into a late night flight.  The airlines are nuts right now."

Nancy waved them into the living room, "Have a seat," she offered, "Can I get you something to drink? We've got milk, OJ, iced tea, and Mountain Dew."

Amy and Face both asked for iced tea, and Nancy disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with drinks for all of them.

Murdock was sitting in a chair, and Nancy came and sat on the arm, next to him handing him his drink last.  He put an arm around her waist, then turned to Amy and Face, "You're just in time to help us decorate the tree," he said, "we had to go get everything for trimming this morning . . . Nan's never had a live tree before."

Amy and Face hadn't seen Nancy and Murdock together since Thanksgiving, and both were surprised at how comfortable the two seemed to be together.  They were acting like they'd known each other for years instead of weeks.  Face spoke up, "We just stopped by to say 'hi' - I wasn't even too sure this was the place . . ."

"I'm glad you did," Murdock said sincerely, "Can you stay for supper? We got the stuff for tacos . . ."

Amy smiled, "That sounds great!" she said enthusiastically, "But we should probably call Hannibal and Maggie and let them know we won't be back for supper."

The two couples spent the rest of the afternoon decorating the tree and putting up lights.  Then they went into the kitchen and worked together to prepare everything for supper. Afterwards, Murdock coerced Nancy into playing a song.  Neither Face nor Amy had ever heard Nancy sing, and were very encouraging.

Nancy finally picked up her guitar and strummed a few chords, "Any requests?"

"What was that song you sang at Charlie's?" Murdock asked leadingly.

"That was by Atoosa . . ." she said thoughtfully, still strumming absently.  She smiled suddenly, "I know, here's another one by her . . ."

_I see you everywhere_

_I have one single care_

_That you stay mine_

_That you don't mind_

_I don't believe in perfect pairs_

_It's more about how much you dare._

_Cause I would stare with you for a thousand years._

_This is how I love,_

_This is how I love_

_As free as a dove and sometimes_

_Dirty as mud._

_Nothing is fair_

_But this, this is fair._

_And I just throw my hands up into the air_

_When you say things I don't want to hear_

_That's when I hate you_

_Sometimes I hate you_

_But that's when I break through, so_

_Sometimes I need to._

_Now you've got me feeling low tonight_

_Truth is I wouldn't want you otherwise._

_In a world where wrong can feel oh so right._

_Every high ends in goodbye._

_This is how I love,_

_This is how I love_

_As free as a dove_

_Dirty and tough._

Murdock smiled, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of hearing her sing.  He turned and looked at Amy and Face, "She's great, isn't she?"

Amy nodded, enthusiastically, "You have a lot of talent, Nancy," she said, "You could work professionally."

Nancy laughed, "I think you're being overly generous," she said disbelievingly, setting her guitar back up on the piano, "I just play for myself mostly . . .  HM just seems to be joining ranks with Charlie trying to get me to play for other people."

"You really don't realize how good you are, do you?" Face said in surprise, "I'll be your agent if you ever do decide to go professional," he offered with a grin.

Murdock pulled Nancy onto his lap, "See, it's not just me - you are good," he looked at Amy and Face, "I've been trying to convince her to bring her guitar for Christmas eve."

"That would be a lot of fun," Amy agreed.

"We'll see," Nancy said uncertainly.

Conversation turned to Christmas preparations. They sat and visited idly until about 9:30, when Amy stretched and yawned, "I'm exhausted, Face," she said regretfully, "I hate to leave, but I'm gonna fall asleep sittin' here if we don't go soon."

Nancy and Murdock walked them out, "We'll see you tomorrow morning," Murdock said as they walked down the steps. They waved goodbye until the car was out of site, then headed into bed.

**Christmas Eve**

They spent the entire day Christmas eve at the compound, arriving early in the morning to help with breakfast.  The day went quickly. They exchanged presents after breakfast.  Everyone had several gifts under the tree, and there were a lot of thank you's exchanged as the gifts were opened.

Face and Murdock had gotten each other a set of six-shooter rubber band guns and after the gift exchange was over, they proceeded to have a rubber band fight over and around everyone sitting in the living room.  Hannibal and BA got fed up with them, and each managed to get one of the guns.  Soon all four men were out in the back yard. This left Frankie and the four women spectating from the back deck.

Frankie crossed his arms and shook his head, "You'd think they'd get enough of this in real life."

Maggie laughed, "I don't think those four will ever grow up."

"I'm pretty certain that HM's goal in life is to be a big kid," Nancy said with a smile, "Too bad they didn't get enough rubber band guns for all of us . . ."

"My thoughts exactly," Amy agreed, then looked at Nancy with a wicked grin, holding out her index finger and thumb like a gun, "But I've got a pretty mean single shot weapon right here."

They giggled like a couple of school girls, taking a pocketful of rubber bands each and heading into the fray in the back yard. Mama B looked at Maggie and shook her head, "I think you need to add a couple to the 'never growin' up' category."

Amy and Nancy found that they were actually at somewhat of an advantage.  Though they didn't have the rapid fire capability, it took them a lot less time to reload.  The two women were definitely getting the upper hand in the battle, when Hannibal ordered Face and Murdock to abandon their weapons and proceed with a full frontal attack, which pretty much ended the rubber band fight.

They all retired to the house for a lunch of ham sandwiches.  Then they spent the afternoon visiting, playing board games, and watching 'It's a Wonderful Life'. At five o'clock, they decided they were getting hungry again, and threw together a quick dinner. 

After dinner they were all lounging around the living room again, and Murdock glanced over at Nancy casually, "How about a song, Short Cake?"

Nancy shrugged, "Sorry, I forgot to bring my guitar . . ."

He grinned at her, "You may have forgotten, but I didn't," he said, "I'll go get it."

He returned from the front hall a minute later with her guitar and handed it to her.  She took it from him with a wilting look, which he ignored.  She strummed a few chords absently, as usual stuck for something to play.  Amy prompted, "I liked that song you played last night, do you know any others by that artist?"

Nancy smiled at Amy gratefully and began playing . . .

_I build dream castles out of weathered leaves_

_I believe in fairytales, I believe in reveries_

_I don't want to be stagnant; I've got to learn to be strong_

_But now I've got this ailment_

_Something must've gone wrong, so wrong._

_Somebody write this song for me_

_Somebody write this song_

_I've been working way too hard and it's taking way too long_

_Yeah I've got to fix this; I've just got to be_

_Free as God intended, there's a plan for me._

_I spent years being censored and I don't want to go home_

_What's wrong with the whole of me when I never took nothing at all_

_Took nothing for granted, took nothing from you_

_Now all of our truths are precious, and endlessly misused._

_So this is my story and it's plain to see_

_Everybody writes one and every day they read_

_All about their triumphs, all about their scars_

_And everyone's a lion and everyone's a star_

_Oh you are._

_Oh you are._

_Oh you are._

_And everybody writes one and every day they read_

_All about their triumphs, all about their scars_

_And everyone's a lion and everyone's a star_

_Oh you are._

As she finished everyone began talking at once, telling Nancy how much they enjoyed it.  Nancy just looked at Murdock and shook her head, "You set this up," she said quietly, so only he could hear her.

He put an arm around her and leaned into her ear, "No, I didn't . . . maybe someday you'll believe that you really are pretty darn good on that thing."

Nancy offered to play a few Christmas carols, and they all agreed to join in. They enjoyed singing carols together for the next hour or so, each picking their own favorite hymn.  Nancy didn't know the music for all of the songs, but could usually pick an appropriate chord to at least get them started.

At about 7 that evening Nancy and Murdock said their goodbyes and headed back to Nancy's place.  They needed to finalize preparations for their trip, since they planned to leave bright and early the next morning for Chicago. 

When they got home, Nancy ran upstairs to finish packing. Once she was done, she walked back downstairs to see what was keeping Murdock, who had never materialized in the bedroom.  They should be getting to bed, since they had an early morning planned.

Nancy took a deep breath as she walked down the stairs. She had to admit that it was nice to have a live tree. The whole downstairs smelled of pine, and it really did put her in the mood for Christmas.

When she walked into the living room, all the lights were out except for the Christmas tree and a couple candles.  It looked beautiful.  Murdock came walking in from the kitchen with a bottle of wine and two glasses, "Come on, Short Cake, let's sit down and relax." He put an arm around her and steered her to the couch.

A few minutes later they were sitting back in the couch, Nancy lounging in the crook of his arm, sipping wine and enjoying the quiet.

"So," Murdock ventured, "when do you want to exchange gifts?"

"Can't wait 'til Christmas?," Nancy asked, sitting up some, "I suppose we could do it tonight, that's two less we have to find space for in Aunt Bea."  The plane was crowded as it was.

She looked at him and said teasingly, "Have you been a good boy?" 

"Never," he grinned.

She stood and went over to the tree, which had a few scattered gifts underneath it.  She picked up a large box, and walked back to the couch, holding it out to him, "I've seen you shaking it for the past week, have you guessed what's in it yet?"

Murdock took the box and looked at it ruefully, "Nope, but now I get to find out." His face broke into a grin. He ripped the paper off and tore open the box, only to find another box amongst a bunch of newspaper.

"My favorite thing in the whole world," he said gleefully, "A present!"

Nancy laughed. And they went through the process again.  In the second box he found a t-shirt that said 'I'm with her,' but there was still another box.  He opened three more boxes until he got to a small one.  He opened it and held up the key, "What's this for?" he asked.

She looked at him with a shrug, "I thought maybe it was time you had your own key to the townhouse."

"Does this mean what I hope it means?" He asked.

"Well, it does seem kinda silly for you to keep an apartment you're never in," she said with a smile.

He gave her a kiss, then reached in his pants pocket and took out a ring box with a small bow on it, "Alright, now it's your turn." He handed her the box.

Nancy opened the box and looked at the ring. It was a sapphire solitaire in a low setting in white gold, with swirls on either side of the stone that reminded Nancy of the high cirrus clouds in a summer sky, "It's . . . it's beautiful, HM," her voice was barely above a whisper, and her eyes were shining.  

He reached over and took the ring out of the box.  Taking her hand, he put the ring on her finger, "It's up to you what we call this," he said, his expression uncertain, "Face told me that it was too soon for it to be an engagement ring . . ."

Nancy caught his gaze and held it, "Are you asking me to marry you?"

"Only if it's what _you_ want, Nancy," he said seriously.

She smiled slightly, " I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else," she said frankly.

He took both her hands, his expression turning hopeful, "Does that mean you will marry me?"

She smiled at him affectionately, "Of course I will," she said with certainty.

Murdock put his arms around her, holding her tightly, "You just made me the happiest man in the world."

Nancy squeezed back, "Just returning the favor," she said blissfully.

**A Shakespearean Christmas**

By 10 the next morning, Nancy and Murdock were pulling in Carl Clay's drive.  He welcomed them warmly, hustling them in out of the blustery Chicago morning. 

"Merry Christmas!" Carl said, giving his daughter a warm embrace and kiss on the cheek, "Good to see you again, HM," he added, shaking Murdock's hand warmly, "I was hoping you'd be able to come."

They deposited their coats in the closet and Carl motioned upstairs, "You'll be in the same room as before, if you want to take the bags up."

When Murdock came back downstairs, Nancy and her father were in the living room and Nancy was relating the highlights of their previous day at the Compound.

She was in the midst of regaling her father about the rubber band fight, with much hand waving and gesticulating. Something seemed to catch Carl's eye, and his gaze became curious as his eyes followed her hands.  Rather suddenly, he interrupted her by grabbing her left hand, "What's this?"

Murdock had been watching from the entryway, and now moved into the room.  Carl looked up at him as he came to Nancy's side and put an arm around her. Nancy was practically beaming, "Well, I was going to wait until Uncle arrived to tell you, but . . . HM and I are engaged."

Her father's face split into a broad grin, "That is terrific news," he said enthusiastically, catching Nancy in a bear hug, "I'm so happy for you sweetheart."  

He then turned and clapped Murdock on the shoulder heartily, "Congratulations! And welcome to the family!"

They sat and visited for the next half hour, then Carl stood, "Guess I should put the ham in the oven and get the rest of dinner going," he said and headed into the kitchen, with Nancy and Murdock following close behind.

They all set to work on the meal.  Carl looked in the refrigerator, and noticed he was out of butter, "Nan, would you go to the basement and get some butter out of the freezer?"

Murdock was closest to the basement door, "Right down here?" he asked, at the affirmative nods, he offered, "I'll go get it," and headed down the stairs.

Nancy looked up from the carrots she was peeling, "When is Uncle coming?"

"He said he'd be here around noon," Carl said, "He also said that you weren't allowed to run out on him this time.  I don't really think he comes to these holidays to spend time with me."

Nancly glanced at the basement door, she could hear Murdock whistling cheerfully, "You don't think he'll be weird about HM?" she asked hopefully.

"Probably," Carl said, looking at his daughter seriously, "you certainly aren't expecting a warm reception, are you?"

She sighed, "I like to try on optimism every once in while.  Unfortunately, it just never seems to fit, especially not where Uncle is concerned.  I can't seem to do anything right."

"Oh this one has nothing to do with right or wrong, dear," Carl said, "This has everything to do with you bringing another man into the family.  A man that is likely going to have more sway over you than he does."

"Uncle has never had any _sway_ over me to begin with," Nancy said tersely.

"I think you're uncle has influenced your life far more than you realize, Nancy," Carl said, ignoring the glare he was receiving, "Even if it is in the direction opposite to what he wanted."

Murdock had come back up while they were talking.  He set a pound of butter on the counter, "I wasn't sure, but I brought up the full pound instead of the quarters, is that OK?"

"That's fine," Carl said taking it to unwrap and put on a dish for the table, "Hopefully it thaws some before dinner."

Murdock walked over to Nancy, kissed her on the cheek, then snatched a carrot, "Can I help with anything else?"

"Yes," Nancy said, "Get a knife and cut the carrots - I want to glaze them for dinner."

"Okey dokey," Murdock said cheerfully, and set to work. 

They finished dinner preparations, and headed into the living room.  Carl served drinks, and they all sat down to relax until dinner was ready.  

"I imagine Hunt will be here soon, I can't picture anyone that he could arrange to meet with on Christmas Day, so I'm guessing he'll be on time." Carl said conversationally.

"If anyone would arrange a meeting on Christmas Day it would be Uncle," Nancy said, then turned to Murdock "You need to be prepared for this meeting, HM. Uncle isn't likely to be very pleasant."

"You have to love that Stockwell charm," Carl said with a grin.

Murdock paled, "Did you say _Stockwell_, Hunt _Stockwell_?" he asked quietly, standing slowly.

Carl looked puzzled, "Yes, that is my brother-in-law," he looked at Murdock with concern, "Are you OK?"

Murdock took a deep breath and turned to Nancy, "You never told me your uncle was Hunt Stockwell," he said flatly.

Nancy shrugged, "I usually just call him 'Uncle' - Uncle Hunt can be gravely misunderstood," she grinned, but her grin faded when she looked in Murdock's face, "I take it you know him."

"He's the Team's . . .  'benefactor.'" Murdock said, his look reflecting worry.

Nancy stood up abruptly, looking at Murdock intently, "You mean you _work_ for _him_?"

"In a matter of speaking 'yes' - and he and I don't get along very well, to put it mildly," Murdock was becoming agitated, and starting to pace.

Carl stood up as well, striding to the bar, "We never have normal holidays in this household," he said, pouring himself another drink, "This is going to be even more interesting than I thought."

"Maybe I should leave," Murdock said quietly.

"No," Nancy said flatly, "Honestly, let's not over-react.  So you work for Uncle, what does that have to do with us?"

Murdock looked uncertain, "I hate to take any chances," he said, "Especially if there's a possibility that it could jeopardize the pardons."

Carl turned to Murdock, "Son, I may not be overly fond of my brother-in-law, but he won't go back on his word, I'm pretty certain of that. If you have a deal for the pardons, he'll honor it, regardless of what he thinks about you and Nancy being together."

Carl glanced out the front window, "Besides, I think it's too late," and as Carl said that, the front door opened and General Hunt Stockwell strode into the living room.  He apparently didn't notice Murdock at first, because he walked straight over to Nancy and gave her a stiff hug. 

Nancy kissed his cheek in return and said, "Merry Christmas, Uncle," casting an apprehensive glance towards Murdock.

"Merry Christmas, Nancy," he turned to his brother-in-law, "Carl," he said curtly in greeting.

The General then caught sight of Murdock who had stopped his pacing just inside the entryway to the dining room.  He turned to face him and stared, "What in the hell are you doing here, Captain?"

"He came with me," Nancy said, moving around her Uncle and towards Murdock.

"_With_ you?"

"Uncle, HM and I are engaged," she said concisely, taking Murdock's hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"You've got to be kidding me," her Uncle said, shaking his head, "Do you know who this man is? Do you know that he spent the last 10 years in the mental ward of a VA hospital in LA?"

"Yes, Uncle, I know," Nancy said quietly.

"I'd just like to point out that this is my home," Carl broke in, his voice stern, "And HM is a guest here.  Do _not_ start anything Hunt, I won't put up with it."

Stockwell ignored his brother-in-law and looked at Murdock coolly, "Captain, I think it would be best if you and I went to see Colonel Smith together and talked this out.  I'm sure we can come to an equitable solution."

Nancy clenched her teeth, and turned to face her Uncle, "There nothing to find a solution to, Uncle," she said irritably, "HM and I are engaged, not in treaty negotiations."

The General's jaw clenched as well, and he was obviously ready to start arguing with Nancy, when Murdock held up a hand, "Listen, I'll go with you to see Hannibal," he said wearily, then his look became defiant as he added, "Tomorrow."

Carl now stepped in front of his brother-in-law and said in a low voice, "Drop it, Hunt.  It's Christmas. No one is going anywhere . . . not today, at least."

The remainder of the day was very tense.  Murdock and the General avoided talking directly to each other, because when they did it generally deteriorated into an argument.  This made it tough for Nancy and Carl, who had to try and keep the conversation going, but on neutral ground.

Stockwell glared when Nancy and Murdock headed up to bed together at 9 that evening.  He looked at Carl sharply, "You're going to allow that under your own roof?"

"They're consenting adults, Hunt, just let it go," Carl said wearily.

"You know nothing about that man," Hunt said caustically, getting up and pacing the room.

Carl sighed, there was no avoiding this, "Listen, Hunt, I'll tell you what I know about HM Murdock - he loves Nancy and he's good for her.  I haven't seen her this happy in _years_."

"He has spent that last 10 years in a mental institution, Carl," Stockwell said, "doesn't that bother you in the least?"

"No," Carl said flatly, "From the little bit I've heard, he's been through a lot.  I would think that you of all people would understand that. That cannot be your only issue, because it just doesn't hold water. It's not much different from what we went through with Nancy after Ruby was killed, for Christ's sake."

"I don't trust him," Stockwell said, "I worked with him in Vietnam, and he betrayed me. He could do the same to Nancy."

"So your history with him is longer than just the A-Team business, I take it."

"When I met Murdock he was working for the CIA in an Air America scheme.  He loved the flying, but he hated what they were doing.  So, being the opportunist that he is, he took advantage of my good will and convinced me to transfer him into Army Intel under my command."

"The arrangement worked out pretty well for a few months.  He's bright and made significant contributions rather quickly.  I was impressed, it had been worth the trouble and the markers I'd had to pull in to make the transfer happen.  Then, six months later, he went behind my back and arranged a transfer for himself to Air Command."

Carl looked puzzled, "How could he arrange a transfer without your knowledge if he was under your command."

"I told you he was bright, he forged the papers.  By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late to stop it.  I considered having him court marshaled, but the commander he transferred under convinced me not to.  Pilots were in short supply then and he was a damn good pilot."

Carl considered what his brother-in-law had revealed, then asked, "Tell me, Hunt, how old was HM when you met him?"

"I fail to see how that is relevant . . ."

"Just tell me," Carl said, exasperated.

Stockwell looked into his drink, "Murdock's files indicated that he was 19, but I have reason to believe that that is not accurate," he admitted.

"And he'd probably been with the CIA for at least a few months," Carl speculated, "So, in other words, he was a scared kid looking for a way out of a bad situation.  I question who took advantage of whom."

Stockwell just glared at Carl, but Carl wasn't phased, he was used to his brother-in-law's ire, "Did you give him a chance to fly in Army Intel?" Carl was in his 'lawyer' mode again.

"No," Stockwell said shortly, "Flying is done by qualified pilots in Air Command."

"From what I understand, Murdock is a born pilot," Carl said, "Did you honestly expect him to be happy in Army Intel?"

"You are missing the point, this man broke the rules to get himself transferred out of my command.  After I had gone to great pains to help him."

"I think it is you who is missing the point," Carl said, looking Hunt squarely in the eye, "He did not get himself transferred _out_ of your command.  He got himself transferred _in_ to Air Command.  It's where he belonged, Hunt."

Stockwell sighed, he'd always hated debating anything with Carl, it was difficult to win, "I'm going to bed. I will sort this out with Smith and Murdock tomorrow."

"Before you do anything stupid," Carl said, a slight smile curving his lips, "I'd like you to consider one fact, if you try to place a wedge between Nancy and Murdock, all you're going to do is alienate Nancy. You are _not_ going to stop them from seeing each other."

"I have options for bending the Captain to my will." Stockwell said, sounding almost evil.

Carl laughed outright, "I'm not debating that, Hunt.  I'm sure that the pardons are a powerful persuader to a group of men who have been on the run for over ten years.  But what happens when you issue the pardons? What then? Nancy is a very patient young woman.  She'll wait and then you won't have any way to coerce compliance from HM.  Eventually, they'll be together."

Stockwell glared at him, "Then I'll hold the pardons."

"Indefinitely?" Carl said, "That's pretty underhanded, even for you.  Besides, you'll only hold onto them for so long.  Eventually they'll decide being on the run is better than working under those conditions.  You'll be in the same boat."

Stockwell set his jaw.  He knew Carl was right and it was really infuriating.  Maybe he needed to approach this from a different direction. It bore consideration. He stood and headed towards the door.

"And Hunt," Carl continued, "keep in mind that even if you do manage to somehow arrange it so Nancy and HM can't see one another, you're going to really tick Nancy off.  She holds a grudge like her mother.  So I'm assuming that you'll be making a conscious decision to not ever see her again."  Carl kept his face neutral. He knew that would hit a nerve.  No matter how much Hunt criticized Nancy, he knew that he cared deeply about his niece. She was his only real family and Hunt wouldn't want to lose that.

Stockwell just glared, "I have some work to finish at the jet. I'll be back in the morning to collect the Captain.  Goodnight Carl.

Murdock smiled thinly at Nancy as they entered the bedroom, "I think that went well, don't you?" he asked sarcastically.

Nancy walked over to him and put her arms around his waist, "You are not marrying my uncle, you're marrying me," she said, "Uncle will come around, just give him time."

Murdock relaxed and put his arms around her. He sighed, "Aw well, 'The course of true love never did run smooth."

Nancy shook her head ruefully, "Alright Lysander.  Let's just hope that in our case it _is_ one of Shakespeare's comedies, and _not_ one of his tragedies!"

Murdock grinned, "I'm optimistic," he said, "You seem much more the Hermia type than Juliet."

Nancy laughed, "Don't take this wrong, but I honestly can't see you in a tragedy anyway.  I love you, but you are definitely no Romeo."

**Midnight Confidence**

Murdock had trouble sleeping, turning the situation over in his head and trying to see every conceivable angle.  When he heard Nancy's even breathing, he slipped out of bed, pulled on some clothes, and went downstairs to get something to eat.  That always helped him think.

In the kitchen, he opened the fridge and surveyed the contents before pulling the leftover ham and some mustard out.  A ham sandwich would do the trick.

Carl appeared in the doorway, "I thought I heard someone down here.  Didn't hear the piano so I figured it _wasn't_ Nancy."

Murdock smiled, "She really used to wake you up with Chopin, huh," Carl nodded, grinning, "Me, I eat when I'm stressed." Murdock said, and sat down at the counter with his Dagwood ham sandwich.

"You know," Carl said, moving into the kitchen, "That looks pretty good.  I think maybe I'll make myself one."

Carl fixed himself a sandwich then leaned against the counter opposite Murdock and ate. He looked at Murdock reflectively, "Hunt told me that he knew you in Vietnam."

Murdock nodded, "He helped me out of a bad situation and I really appreciated it.  CIA was not for me, and I wanted out pretty bad," he put his sandwich down on the plate, and turned to face Carl, "But Army Intel wasn't much better, and when the opportunity in Air Command came up, I couldn't pass it up.  I tried to talk to Stockwell about it, but he was no different then than he is now.  If it didn't fit with his view of how things should be he didn't want to hear it.  So . . . I figured out a work around."

Murdock shrugged, "I'm not saying that what I did was right.  I really figured the General would have me thrown in the brig," Murdock chuckled reflectively, "Heck, maybe that's what I really wanted.  I don't know."

Carl took advantage of Murdock's openness, "So, how old were you really when you joined the CIA?"

Murdock looked at Carl in surprise, "I was almost 17," he said quietly, "My grandparents had passed away, and I didn't have anywhere to go.  It wasn't too difficult to get a fake ID, and I had already graduated high school, so it wasn't hard to convince the recruiter that I was 18."

 Carl nodded his head, "You were even younger than I thought," he said, "Why the CIA?"

"Are you kidding? That Air America recruiter made it sound like the greatest thing next to peanut butter and jelly.  I already had my pilot's license, and I loved to fly," Murdock grimaced, "Unfortunately what they didn't tell you was that you had to have a general lack of conscience, or be a total nut case to really make it there.  I might have been able to hack it towards the end of the war," he added regretfully, with a self-deprecating smile, "but not then."

Carl looked at Murdock appraisingly, "Have you ever tried to explain to Hunt why you left Army Intel?"

Murdock shook his head, "There really hasn't been an opportunity," he said, "Not that I've tried overly hard to make one."

He looked at Carl, "How angry is the General?"

"Pretty pissed, HM," Carl said candidly, "but I don't _think_ he'll do anything that could alienate Nancy."

"Maybe not, but he could still make my life pretty miserable," Murdock laughed bitterly, "Not that that's anything new."

**Dread**

The next morning was overcast and cold, which pretty much fit with everyone's mood.  They had a quiet breakfast.  Murdock had packed his bag and dropped it by the door in anticipation of the General's return.  He also called Hannibal to warn him what was going on.

"Murdock, how was your Christmas?" Hannibal asked cheerfully when he came on the line.

"I've had better . . . Hannibal, we have a problem . . ."

"What is it?" Hannibal asked, concern evident in his tone.

"It's about Stockwell . . .," Murdock hesitated.

"Spit it out, Captain," Hannibal ordered.

"He's Nancy's Uncle," Murdock said flatly.

"I think we have a bad connection, Murdock," Hannibal said disbelievingly, "I thought you just said that Hunt Stockwell was Nancy Clay's uncle."

"The connection is just fine, Colonel," Murdock could hear surprised laughter in the background and sighed, if you weren't living it, he had to admit it really was kind of funny, "Hannibal, this is serious.  The General is _not_ happy."

Hannibal pulled it together, "No, I don't imagine he is. When is he dragging your butt back here?"

"He said he'd pick me up early this morning . . . that we would work this out with you."

"That sounds ominous," Hannibal said thoughtfully, "What does Nancy think of all of this."

"She thinks it will be fine," Murdock said doubtfully, "But I think she may be delusional."

Hannibal chuckled, "She's known Stockwell longer than either of us, Murdock.  Let's hope that she's right.  One way or the other, I guess we'll find out shortly."

Murdock sighed, "Yeah, I just wanted to give you a heads up.  I imagine we'll be at the compound before noon."

"See you then," Hannibal said, "And, Murdock, try to relax. We're just gonna have to see where this goes.  You know the Team will stand by you."

"Thanks Colonel."

After breakfast, Murdock began pacing around the living room.  He'd had several cups of coffee trying to stave off the fatigue from being up late and sleeping poorly, and now he was wired.

Nancy sighed as he made his fourth circuit of the room, "HM, please sit down, you're making me crazy."

"Sorry, Short Cake," he said dropping onto the couch next to her, "I'm seriously wondering if your uncle is gonna let me live to see our wedding day."

Nancy smiled, "I know you two don't get along, but I really don't think he'd commit murder.  Your life should be safe," Nancy grinned wickedly, "But I wouldn't be so sure about your manhood. Dad said Uncle freaked when we went to bed last night."

"That'll really put a crimp in our family plans," he said, smiling weakly.

Nancy curled up next to him, and he put an arm around her, "It will all work out," she said reassuringly.

"I hope so," Murdock said, "What are you planning to do while I get my butt chewed out?"

"I'm gonna head back to Langley today, too," Nancy said, "I think Dad is going to come with me. We'll probably get out of here late morning, so I should be home by mid-afternoon. Call me when you can?"

"I'll call as soon as I know what's what," Murdock said.  They heard a car turn into the driveway, "Sounds like my ride is here."

The General walked in a minute later, "Let's go, Captain."

"Yes, sir," Murdock said, he leaned down and kissed Nancy on the cheek, "See ya later, Short Cake." With that he headed out the door past Stockwell, to the waiting car.

Nancy stood and walked over to her uncle, "Please don't be an ass, Uncle," she said quietly.

Stockwell looked at his niece, "How this turns out is entirely up to Captain Murdock and the A-Team."

**The Deal**

The General didn't speak to Murdock the entire trip back to Langley.  When they arrived at the jet, he went straight into his office and closed the door, leaving Murdock to his own devices.  Murdock couldn't decide if that was a good sign or not, but was just as happy to be left alone.

The car ride to the compound was equally silent, and Murdock followed the General meekly into the house when they arrived.

"Colonel Smith, please come with me," Stockwell said as he swept through the living room and back to his office.  

Hannibal fell into step beside Murdock and they entered the office on Stockwell's heels, "Well, General," Hannibal said facetiously, his cigar clenched in his teeth, "Did you have a nice Christmas?"

Murdock rolled his eyes and dropped into a chair, why did Hannibal always have to joke at times like this?  Stockwell did not look the least bit amused.

"I trust that Captain Murdock has filled you in on my family tree," the General said stiffly, ""We have a situation which needs to be rectified."

Hannibal took his cigar out of his mouth and crossed his arms, "I understand that Nancy is your niece.  I guess I'm a little uncertain about how that impacts the deal.  Why don't you tell me?"

"Colonel, this situation is intolerable," Stockwell said, "I don't trust the Captain to stick around once this deal is closed, and I will not see my niece hurt in that way."

"Therefore," he stood and walked around the desk, holding out a packet of papers, "I am willing to give you your pardons today, if . . ."

Murdock stood angrily, "I am not going anywhere, General.  Nancy and I are getting married and there is _nothing_ _you can do about it_." He jabbed a finger at Stockwell's chest to emphasize his point.

Stockwell glared at Murdock, "_Sit down_, Captain, and allow me to finish. I am willing to give you your pardons today, but only if you agree to sign this long-term contract to continue working for Stockwell Enterprises.  The deal is for the entire Team, _including_ Captain Murdock." He held the contract out to Hannibal.

Hannibal's expression was unreadable.  He took the papers that Stockwell held out, "And if we choose not to accept the terms . . ."

"Trust me, Colonel, I will find _the_ worst missions on God's green earth to send you on to fulfill you're current obligation.  It will not be pleasant."

Hannibal nodded in understanding, "How long do we have to make a decision?"

"I will give you 24 hours," Stockwell said, "You know how to reach me.  Good day, gentlemen." And with that he stalked out.

Hannibal turned to Murdock, "Well, that was an interesting turn of events. Let's talk to the others."

**Decisions**

"I don't want to do this for the rest of my life, Johnny," Frankie said quietly, "I want my pardon, and the sooner the better, but not if it means I gotta work for Stockwell forever."

"I understand your reservations, Frankie," Hannibal said.  He turned to where Face was sitting at the desk in the office pouring over the contract, "Well Face, what do you think?"

"It's a pretty standard, life sentence contract," Face said, looking up, "Is there any room for negotiation?"

"We can always ask," Hannibal said, "the worst Stockwell can do is say 'no'."

BA looked at Hannibal, "What happens if we don't take this deal?"

"Stockwell said he'd make the last missions . . .," Hannibal searched for a word and finally settled on, "difficult."

"You know, Colonel," Face said, "the compensation plan offered for services is quite generous.  I'm guessing this is why the Abels are so loyal." He bent back to reading.

Hannibal sighed, "Honestly, we were all, perhaps with the exception of Frankie here, wondering what we were gonna do when this was all over. There are worse things than working for Stockwell."

BA looked uncertain, "It's not that I mind the missions, man, but it sure would be nice to decide what we do and don't want to do."

Face agreed, "We could add a clause to the contract stating that any mission may be turned down, at our discretion."

"I like it, Face."

"Wait a minute," Frankie said, "I have a career in LA.  I don't want to work for Stockwell anymore."

Hannibal put an arm around Frankie's shoulders, "I understand, kid, and I think I can make a good argument to Stockwell _not_ to include you in the long term deal. For the rest of us, it may be the best option, anyways. What do you think, guys?"

Face shrugged, "The money looks really good - I'm in. As long as we can get a few kinks ironed out of the contract," he added hastily.

BA nodded, "If we can turn stuff down that we don't want to do, then I think we should go for it."

Hannibal turned to Murdock, who had been strangely silent during the entire discussion, "Well, Captain?"

Murdock stood and shoved his hands in his pockets, "Either way this turns out I'm gonna end up with Stockwell in my life.  You guys make the decision about how you wanna do this."

Hannibal looked around at the assembled group, "Face, mark up the contract with recommended changes.  I'll call the General and see what we can negotiate."

****

**Epilogue**

As it turned out, the General was more than happy to negotiate the contract, though there were some terms he was set on.  He allowed them to add a clause allowing discretionary declination of missions, but only in cases where national security was not at risk.  He also agreed that Frankie Santana did not have to be included in the long-term deal, he was free to go back to LA and his career as a special affects artist.

Once the deal was set, the General had the Team's pardons in hand within the week, all official and signed by the President, himself. He even had a special surprise for his future nephew-in-law - a bona fide pilot's license, with qualifications for several of the aircraft that Murdock had flown over the course of the past year.

Over the following weeks, the Team members worked to set everything in order to take up permanent residence in Langley . . . except of course for Frankie.

Once Frankie received his pardon, he said goodbye and headed back to LA, promising to keep in touch. He was anxious to get back to some semblance of a normal life.

BA went to Chicago and had his mother's home put on the market.  He then moved her out to Langley permanently where he could take care of her.  

Face and Amy took a week and went to LA, where Face formally met her parents, and they announced their engagement. Then they also returned to Langley to find a home.

Hannibal and Maggie tied the knot in an informal ceremony at the Justice of the Peace.  They then found a home just outside of Langley and settled in.

Nancy and Murdock also decided to find a home, and move out of Langley proper.  They found the farm house Nancy had always wanted, with a pond, and room for a couple dogs, and eventually some kids.

Over the next few months the Team took on their first missions as official Abel agents.  Overall the arrangement seemed to work.  The General was no less demanding than he had been before, but the Team felt in more control of their lives than they had in some time.

In May, there was a double marriage ceremony at a small, non-denominational church in Langley.  Face convinced Father Magill to come out and officiate.  Though the Father had reservations about conducting such a solemn ceremony at a non-Catholic church, he agreed, because he understood how important it was to Templeton that he and his best friend take the first step into the rest of their lives together.

Nancy and Amy were given away by their fathers.  Face and Murdock stood at the front of the church, both in dress uniform, looking nervous but happy.  Hannibal and BA stood for their team mates, and Trixie and Angela, Amy's sister, were matrons of honor. 

The ceremony was brief.  Father Magill gave a moving sermon about the importance of relying on one another and always being there for the people in your life, "The bonds that tie the tightest are not those wrought of blood but those wrought of love. Blood thins and dries with time, but love, freely given and freely accepted, grows stronger as time passes.  This I hope and pray for these young couples here today."

The reception was held at a local hall immediately after the ceremony.  There was a live band to provide entertainment, and a huge spread of food. Everyone had a wonderful time.  

Late that evening, when just about everyone was gone, Nancy's Uncle arrived.  He had come to the wedding, but had not shown up at the reception until now.  He strode over to where Nancy and Murdock were standing saying goodbye to Trixie and Joe.

Trixie glanced up as the General approached, and took Joe's arm, "Well, we really should be going before the baby sitter turns into a pumpkin.  We'll see you for dinner Saturday night," with that she pulled Joe out the door.

The General came over, "Sorry I'm late, but I had some things to take care of," he smiled fondly at his niece, "You look beautiful, so like your mother." He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

He then turned to Murdock, "Captain, I expect you to take good care of my niece," he said sternly.

Murdock saluted him, "Sir, yes sir - I wouldn't dream of doing anything else."

He looked at Murdock gravely, and then held out his hand.  Murdock was taken a bit off guard, but quickly took the hand in a firm handshake.  The General unbent for just a moment and said, "Welcome to the family . . . son."

When Nancy and Murdock arrived at their new house that night, Murdock swung Nancy up into his arms and carried her over the threshold, "That makes it official, this is _our_ home," he said, setting her carefully back on her feet.

Nancy looked up at him with a thoughtful look on her face.  Murdock smiled and said, "Dollar for your thoughts . . ."

The lyrics to 'Fire' were running through Nancy's mind again, like so many months ago, when she and Murdock were first getting to know each other. She put her arms around his neck and said, "I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, our army of angels can finally find a little peace."

For a while . . . 

The End


End file.
